{"id":15311,"date":"2025-07-22T11:39:09","date_gmt":"2025-07-22T11:39:09","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/15311\/"},"modified":"2025-07-22T11:39:09","modified_gmt":"2025-07-22T11:39:09","slug":"zachary-svajda-dedicates-challenger-title-to-his-father-after-emotional-year-atp-tour","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/15311\/","title":{"rendered":"Zachary Svajda dedicates Challenger title to his father after emotional year | ATP Tour"},"content":{"rendered":"

Challenger
\n Svajda dedicates Challenger title to his father after emotional year<\/p>\n

American speaks candidly on difficult 12 months<\/p>\n

July 22, 2025<\/p>\n

\"Zachary<\/p>\n

Kyle Prudhomme\/International Tennis Hall of Fame <\/p>\n

Zachary Svajda is a five-time ATP Challenger Tour champion.
\n By Grant Thompson<\/p>\n

Zachary Svajda<\/a> was wiping away tears during his match in Newport last year, but the emotion had nothing to do with the scoreline.<\/p>\n

\nAfter a visit home following Wimbledon<\/a>, Svajda\u2019s father, Tom, had shared the heavy news of his stage 4 cancer diagnosis. Returning to the Tour in Newport, Zach carried an emotional weight that overwhelmed him mid-match.<\/p>\n

\n\u201cI was just always thinking like, \u2018I know he\u2019s watching, but should I be home with him?\u2019 There\u2019s a lot of thoughts,\u201d Svajda told ATPTour.com. \u201cI wasn\u2019t totally focussed and on the changeover I remember having some tears, just thinking about him, or even before the match.\u201d<\/p>\n

\nThe night before he was due on court in Newport, Svajda broke down in a raw conversation with close friend and former World No. 21 Steve Johnson<\/a>. Svajda opened up about the uncertainty clouding his mind.<\/p>\n

\n\u201cI was just crying to him saying, \u2018What do I do? Do I just skip this tournament and go home?\u2019 But I didn\u2019t want to default, I don\u2019t like defaulting,\u201d Svajda said. \u201cSo I just sucked it up, played through it.\u201d<\/p>\n

\nSvajda suffered a three-set defeat to Benoit Paire<\/a> and later that night, he was on a plane heading home. It was an emotional whirlwind for Svajda, who at the time was nearing the Top 100 of the PIF ATP Rankings while quietly navigating one of the toughest moments of his life.<\/p>\n

\nFast forward 12 months and Svajda returned to Newport, where this year the tournament was an ATP Challenger Tour event instead of an ATP 250. Svajda went all the way to the title and dedicated the trophy to his father. Svajda wrote on Instagram<\/a> following his triumph: \u201cThis title is for you, Dad. Watching you fight has shown me what true strength really is.\u201d<\/p>\n

\nBack in California, Tom proudly watched the championship match not just once or twice, but three times. A teaching pro at Pacific Beach Tennis Club in San Diego for more than two decades, Tom watches all of Zach\u2019s matches, even if it is 2 a.m.<\/p>\n

\"It<\/a><\/p>\n

\nAfter defeating Tour-veteran Adrian Mannarino<\/a> in the final, Svajda tossed his racquet in relief and lifted his arms in the air \u2014 the most emotion you will see from the typically reserved 22-year-old.<\/p>\n

\n\u201cIt\u2019s been a tough 12 months for me,\u201d Svajda said. \u201cI haven\u2019t won many matches at all. Not just because of my dad, but you know that has a lot to do with it, just off-court stuff. It felt really good just getting this title and playing for him.\u201d<\/p>\n

\nA five-time Challenger champion, Svajda will continue to draw upon his father\u2019s strength. Zach\u2019s younger brother, Trevor, is also enjoying his own success as a standout collegiate player for Southern Methodist University in Dallas. Trevor, 19, won back-to-back titles on the ITF World Tennis Tour last month.<\/p>\n

\"FromUS Open.” style=”width:100%;” src=”https:\/\/www.atptour.com\/-\/media\/images\/news\/2024\/12\/06\/20\/26\/svajda-2023-family.jpg”>
From left to right: Trevor, Anita, Zachary and Tom Svajda at the 2023 US Open<\/a>. Credit: Svajda family<\/p>\n

\nZach and Trevor are undoubtedly giving their father something to smile about. And the man who ignited their love for tennis has become their deepest source of inspiration.<\/p>\n

\n\u201cHe\u2019s fighting unbelievably hard,\u201d Zach said. \u201cI see it when I\u2019m with him in person or when I\u2019m on the phone, he\u2019s always taking some medication at the right time and he\u2019s going in for the treatments. I can\u2019t imagine what he\u2019s going through. And he\u2019s also doing it all while he\u2019s not feeling good at all. It made me think, \u2018You fighting really helps me\u2019.\u201d<\/p>\n

\nFrom the very beginning, tennis was the perfect father-son bond for Tom and his boys. When Zach was just two years old, he would volley a balloon back and forth in the living room with Tom, making an early start on developing hand-eye coordination skills. They soon transitioned to the court, where Zach recalls riding the ball mower, as any young kid enjoys.<\/p>\n

You May Also Like: Svajda\u2019s Non-Traditional Path To The Pros<\/a><\/p>\n

\nThose early memories laid the foundation for a lifelong passion. Now navigating the demands of professional tennis, Svajda briefly considered giving up that lifestyle after his father\u2019s diagnosis last summer. But tennis has always been a key bond for them, and that will continue to be true.<\/p>\n

\n\u201cHe wanted me to keep playing at the end of the day and that\u2019s really what makes him happy,\u201d Svajda said. \u201cJust me competing and being there on court \u2014 that\u2019s where we first started.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/p>\n