Henry Bernet lifted the junior Australian Open title on his birthday (Image: Getty)
Henry Bernet enjoyed the best birthday possible, as he lifted the junior trophy on the day he turned 18.
It’s been a whirlwind week for the Swiss up-and-comer, who bagged his first major sponsorship deal with On seven days ago.
Bernet has already been likened to – he trains at Federer’s boyhood club and works with one of his old coaches. And the teen’s junior victory will only add to the comparisons.
The junior ITF world No. 6 got his first big taste of glory on his 18th birthday, beating the USA’s Benjamin Willwerth 6-3 6-4 to be crowned the boys’ singles champion at the .
It caps off an incredible month for Bernet, who also lifted the J300 Traralgon Tennis International trophy ahead of the Aussie Open.
The Swiss ace has been making moves off the court, too – last weekend, he signed a deal with On to become his clothing sponsor. Federer backs the sportswear brand, and the likes of , Ben Shelton, and fellow teen star Joao Fonseca wear their kit on the court.
Even before lifting the junior trophy, Bernet had shown plenty of similarities to Federer. Both men are from Basel and trained at the Old Boys tennis club.
Bernet also has a one-handed backhand, one of Federer’s signature shots which has started to die out among younger players who are opting for a stronger double-hander.
Roger Federer’s old coach Severin Luthi has been working with Henry Bernet (Image: Getty)
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One of Federer’s long-time coaches, Severin Luthi also began working with Bernet recently, proving that the 18-year-old really could be Switzerland’s next big tennis star.
Former world No. 1 Federer also won a junior Grand Slam title at in 1998 – almost a decade before Bernet was born. Now that he’s nabbed his own big title on the junior circuit, Bernet addressed the comparisons with the 20-time Major winner.
“As I said, I’m just trying to develop myself, yeah, kind of make my own journey,” the 18-year-old said after winning on Saturday.
“But obviously there’s always going to be some comparisons. That’s not a problem for me. It’s a motivation, too. Yeah, maybe I just try to focus on my own journey.”
Bernet confirmed he’d met Federer at last year’s US Open and was asked whether he was now expecting a call from the Swiss icon. “I really don’t know,” he replied. “I mean, I would love to talk to him again. I mean, he’s anyway busy. I mean, I would love to have a chat with him. I’m not expecting one now.”
The junior No. 6 has also been texting with Luthi during the tournament. As for his one-handed backhand, Bernet says the shot started out as a joke.
He explained: “I was pretty young. I was just practising with my coach in the club. I was always struggling with my two-hander.
“He was like, yeah, more or less as a joke, Let’s try a one-hander. It felt natural. It looked natural. That was, like, the point where I decided to play the one-hander. Just developed well so far.”
After “three perfect weeks” Down Under, the birthday boy is looking forward to heading home after some low-key celebrations.
Bernet added: “I think we’re going to have a nice dinner. Not too much sleep because I return home tomorrow morning, which I’m also looking forward to returning back home. Maybe I’m going to celebrate a bit today, but also then when I’m back home.”