34-year-old Jurgen Meltzer, pictured in action on May 28, 2015, beat 10-year younger Gerald Meltzer in the opening round of Wimbledon qualifying. PHOTO: AFP
Former world number eight Jurgen took 47 minutes to defeat his younger sibling 6-1, 6-4 to earn a second qualifying round date with Igor Sijsling of the Netherlands.
“It’s the worst feeling,” said Jurgen, who won the Wimbledon doubles title with Philipp Petzschner in 2010, after the family feud played out on grass at Roehampton. “My coach was joking about it [before the draw]. I hope it never happens again.”
The 34-year-old went on to say that sibling rivalry on this level was hardly something that the brothers relish. “Some people like to compete against family, and we do when we play cards or video games, but it’s not the same thing when it’s a tournament match.
Gerald — 169 in the world and attempting to make the main Wimbledon draw for the first time — agreed. “Neither of us was happy to see the draw. We had a good practice and were looking forward to playing at Wimbledon, but it’s not the kind of match you’d want to play twice.”
This was the first time the Austrian brothers had met at professional level.
Jurgen, who reached the French Open semi-finals in 2010, made it to the last-16 at Wimbledon in 2010 and 2013. AFP
Published in The Express Tribune, June 24th, 2015.
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