Challenger First-Time Winner Spotlight: Timofey Skatov | ATP Tour

#NextGenATP youngster Timofey Skatov made his ATP Challenger Tour breakthrough this past week, when he lifted his maiden Challenger trophy in Parma, Italy.

The 21-year-old defeated Slovakian Jozek Kovalik 7-5, 6-7(2), 6-4 in the Parma Challenger final to become the first Kazakh Challenger champion this season. Skatov has reached at least the semi-finals in four of his past five Challenger tournaments and the title in Italy launched him to a career-high No. 152 in the Pepperstone ATP Rankings.

ATPTour.com spoke to Skatov following his title to learn more about the rising star.

Timofey, congratulations on winning your first Challenger title. Can you describe your emotions?
I was really happy when I won the tournament, I didn’t even expect to win it. I played just one Challenger final before and I lost it. This one was a bit surprising for me. Maybe because of that, I was more happy because when you are having tough times and then finally you win a Challenger, it feels good.

The final was just over three hours long, were you nervous?
I was more or less okay, I was feeling nervous but I was also feeling confident because the past few matches I was playing well. I was comfortable on court. There were some tough moments, especially in the first set, I was 5-0 up and then suddenly it was 5-4. For sure I was nervous though, in a three-hour match, you get tense.

What is the biggest thing you’ve learned stepping up to the Challenger level?
Hard work always pays off. Especially this summer, it was tough for me, I was losing many first rounds. But I was always believing in myself. But then I got some wins which gave me some confidence and I just know you have to work, whatever it takes, doesn’t matter if you’re winning or losing, you have to always keep the same attitude.

Has your success come as a surprise to you at all?
I was feeling that I was playing well and I was getting close to a final. A few times in the semi-finals, I was like, ‘Okay, this is really good’. But in my last semi-final, I said, ‘Now, the semi-final is not enough! The goal is to go full!’ In the end, I was playing really well for a month and at the end of those few tournaments, I got the win.

Timofey Skatov is crowned champion at the Parma Challenger.” />
Kazakhstan’s Timofey Skatov is crowned champion at the Parma Challenger. Credit: Daniele Combi

You’re approaching the Top 150, was that a goal at the start of the year?
When I started the season, I didn’t think…