Don't miss any stories Follow Tennis View

The Stars and Stripes in 2013: Tim Smyczek

Dec 17th 2013

Mke Holder concludes his offseason series on notable Americans by showcasing a man who broke through for the first time in 2013 by learning that less can be more.

Tim Smyczek

Some players quickly rise through the rankings, while others gradually advance over time. American Tim Smyczek is a player who has seen a slow progression throughout his years as a professional, refining his game in the process. But in 2013 he rose to the peak ranking of his career.

Early in his career, the 25-year-old from Milwaukee could not find stability as a professional. Smyczek endured injuries and poor results, struggling to advance his game due to various setbacks. With a mentality that resembles his style of play, he scrapped and fought through the difficult times, paying off with his best season thus far.

At 5'9”, Smyzck has adopted a style that suits his frame. With the help of coach Billy Heiser, a style similar to other players under six feet (such as David Ferrer) was implemented. The style employsquickness with peak fitness and consistency to wear opponents down. The results have been positive for the American.

2013 started out with a little luck for Smyzcek, who now lives and trains in Tampa. He received a lucky-loser entry into the Australian Open, where he defeated veteran Ivo Karlovic in the first round before falling to the player on whom he has modeled his game, Ferrer. Returning to the United States, Smyczek spent the months prior to Roland Garros battling young Americans Rhyne Williams, Ryan Sweeting, Steve Johnson, Denis Kudla and others in qualifiers and Challenger events on American soil. Smyczek found his way into the main draw at Indian Wells, Miami and Houston. But his best result of the spring was a semifinal run at the Tallahassee Challenger.

Nevertheless, Smyczek failed to qualify for Roland Garros and Wimbledon abroad before returning to the  United States to prepare for the US Open. There, he gained entry into main draws in Atlanta, Washington, Newport and Winston-Salem while playing some of the best tennis of his season. During this stretch, the American obtained his signature wins of the year, defeating Sam Querrey in Newport and Grega Zemlja in Washington. In addition, he built leads against two top-20 players in Tommy Haas and Fernando Verdasco before falling in three sets during these North American hard-court events. Carrying the momentum into New York, Smyczek advanced to the third round where he fell to Marcel Granollers in five sets as the last American man standing at his home major.

Following the US Open, Smyczek turned to Challenger events to close out the season. He won a title at the Knoxville Challenger after falling in the final at Sacramento. Additionally, he reached the semifinals in two other Challenger events to cap off a successful second half of 2013.

Smyczek was a durable player in 2013, competing in 32 tournaments,which included a career-best result at a major and another Challenger title. More importantly, he appeared to define his game with a style that complements his size, and the results spoke for themselves. Smyczek peaked at world No. 73 before finishing the season at No. 89, earning the position of the third-ranked American man behind only John Isner and Sam Querrey.

With a recently found confidence and playing style that led to positive results in 2013, Smyzcek opened an opportunity to frequent more main draws in ATP events while bypassing qualifiers next year. He will find himself paired against more upper-level players in 2014, giving him a golden opportunity to continue the progress that he has seen thus far in his career. With his recent momentum, he will look to close the gap separating him from his top two countrymen during the coming season.