McDonald v Schoenhaus: Roland Garros set for all-German boys' final
Outside Suzanne Lenglen Stadium on Friday afternoon, a group of German tennis players and coaches posed triumphantly for a photograph after a stellar day at Roland Garros.
The wide smiles emblazoned across their faces were understandable after talented teenagers Max Schoenhaus and Niels McDonald created a historic moment for their country.
On Saturday the pair will meet in the first all-German boys’ singles final at Roland Garros after they both posted decisive semi-final victories in front of good crowds on Court 6.
Schoenhaus held his nerve in the opening semi-final to defeat No.9 seed Ivan Ivanov 6-3 6-4, while McDonald was a 6-2 6-2 winner over Japan’s 13th seeded Ryo Tabata.
The unseeded duo earned praise from Deutscher Tennis Bund board member Veronika Bucker, with the winner of the final to become the first German boys’ Grand Slam singles champion since Alexander Zverev won the boys' final at the Australian Open in 2014.
“The all-German final at the Junior French Open is a milestone for German tennis and underlines the very good development in the junior sector,” Rucker said.
“Niels and Max have impressed throughout the tournament with impressive consistency and maturity.”
McDonald, who was born in Wales and has both British and German citizenship, arrived at Roland Garros after early exits in a pair of tournaments in Italy.
The right-hander, who trains in Hanover and also in Stockholm, said the difference in Paris had been the mentality with which he has approached his matches.
“I always knew I had the game and that I had the level to play well here and also to win this. It's just I was struggling with my mentality on the court,” he said.
“I was a bit nervous on the court and never really hit through the balls and would crash down a bit with pretty negative thoughts. I panicked a bit on the court.
“But I stayed positive. I talked to my coach a lot and asked ‘okay, what can we change to get better mentally on court?’ And we changed up some stuff here.
“We usually put the phone away one hour and 30 minutes before a match and we usually put on some music. We get in the zone, just to focus and think about the match, because then if you get a boost of nervousness, you're prepared.”
McDonald, whose father is Scottish, was introduced to tennis by his mother when they were living not far from London at the age of four.
A big fan of Rafael Nadal, he ramped up his tennis when his family moved to Germany but has continued his links with Scotland, with his family out in force to support him this week.
“My mum went over to work in Great Britain and she met my dad, and I think they moved to Cardiff for some work also,” he said.
“I was born in Cardiff in Wales and then we lived close to London until I was four. But my dad is Scottish and I have cousins from Scotland who are out supporting us here.”
McDonald said he has known Schoenhaus, who is based in Frankfurt and coached by German national coach Bjorn Simon, for many years and is well aware of his talent.
“Me and Max, we knew each other from when we were super young, like when we were nine or something,” he said.
“He's always been a great player. He's always been a super good friend of mine. I'm always super happy to see him and also practice with him at some German national camps.”
Tabata, who is a member of the ITF-operated Grand Slam Player Development Programme Touring Team, told Japanese journalists after the match that he felt fatigued at the end of a strong week on clay.
Earlier this week Schoenhaus told the ITF he is a big fan of Lorenzo Musetti, who played Carlos Alcaraz in a men’s semi-final on Friday.
“I really look up to Museti at the moment. His backhand is a really, really big weapon,” he said.
“And for my backhand, and actually for my style, a little bit, I try to be a little bit like Musetti, because I also really like him off the court. I think he has a great balance with his lifestyle and tennis.”
In the boys’ doubles final, No. 2 seeds Oskari Paldanius from Finland and Alan Wazny from Poland will play seventh seeded Americans Noah Johnston and Benjamin Willwerth.