ALEX BOGDANOVIC’S rollercoaster ride through 2004 shows no signs of losing any of its giddy qualities. The Great Britain No 4 will move back inside the world’s top 200 next week after successfully qualifying for a grand-slam championship for the first time. Bogdanovic, 20, defeated Julien Varlet, of France, 6-2, 6-2, his third straight set victory of the week, and will take his place among the 128 men contesting the US Open that begins at a sticky Flushing Meadows on Monday.
“I have played Wimbledon three times on wild cards and that has been great for me but I’m part of the tournament by rights and deserve my place in the main draw,” he said. “It’s really satisfying because I’ve been working hard and it’s paying off. I had my best junior grand slam results on these courts and I’ve got nothing to lose now.”
Varlet was struggling from the outset and required treatment for fatigue as early as the fifth game. Bogdanovic, sensing a wounded opponent, played with maturity in both shot selection and ball striking. “It was an excellent performance,” Jeremy Bates, the Davis Cup captain who has selected Bogdanovic for next month’s World Group qualifier in Austria, said.
Bogdanovic is working outside the LTA’s auspices, but he would not have known it for the faces around Court No 8 included Bates, David Felgate, the director of performance, and Mark Petchey, manager of men’s training. Greg Rusedski, who has been working on Bogdanovic’s conditioning and technique, was also there.