Henry Bernet won the junior boys title at the Australian Open (Image: Getty)
Henry Bernet has received a reality check after hiring ’s coach of 15 years.
Aged just 18, the Swiss tennis player has already been branded the next Federer. They have the same coach and sponsor, and Bernet even looks and sounds like a young Federer.
But Severin Luthi has now nipped the comparisons in the bud.
It’s already been a whirlwind year for Bernet. Last month, the young player
The junior world No. 2 has since drawn plenty of comparisons to Federer. Bernet trains at Federer’s boyhood club in Switzerland, hits a one-handed backhand, and works with his former coach Luthi.
Bernet also signed a deal with clothing and shoe sponsor On, a company backed by Federer. And, after winning the , fans quickly noticed the 18-year-old even looked and sounded like the 20-time Major winner.
But Luthi doesn’t want Bernet to get too carried away with the comparisons. While he can see the similarities, the tennis coach reminded the teenager that he could “never” be like Federer.
“I know people love these parallels and I certainly recognise that they haven’t been pulling their hair out either,” Luthi told .
Henry Bernet trained at Roger Federer’s boyhood club and has since hired his former coach (Image: Getty)
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“There are some obvious similarities between the two, but the reality is that Henry will never become the same player that Roger was.
“He is only 18 years old, he still has to find his identity as a player and as a person. Right now, even he doesn’t know what kind of player he is and what kind of player he can become.”
Luthi was not in Australia with Bernet when he lifted the junior boys’ trophy but the pair stayed in communication throughout the tournament. As he continues his work with the junior No. 2, there are plenty of things Luthi wants to work on.
He continued: “I have a lot of challenges going through my mind when working with Henry.
“First of all, I want to see him show the same motivation, discipline and passion every day, regardless of whether he is playing in smaller tournaments, where the conditions are not so good, the court is bad and the light is not ideal.
“I want to see if he is still the same where there are hardly any spectators, because he most likely still has to develop a certain maturity.
“Secondly, I want to see his long-term goals. It’s normal for a young player to get impatient if he sees that things aren’t moving forward. At the moment, he seems very professional, but more is not always better, I’ve learned that over the years.
“There’s a danger that the player will burn out and let himself go. There’s even the risk of thinking that having the best team around you makes you a better player.”
Luthi isn’t Bernet’s only coach. The teenager also works with Sven Swinnen. The team will be keen to help Bernet with the transition from the junior circuit to the professional tour.
Bernet was expected to compete at this week’s Lugano Challenger, making his pro debut, but his name did not appear in the draw.