'Next Roger Federer' wins Australian Open on birthday after bagging major brand deal

Henry Bernet lifted the junior Australian Open title on his birthday

Henry Bernet enjoyed the best birthday possible, as he lifted the junior Australian Open 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 Roger Federer - 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 Australian Open. 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 Iga Swiatek, Ben Shelton, and fellow teen star Joao Fonseca wear their kit on the court. Even before lifting the junior Australian Open 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

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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 Wimbledon 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.” The list of Swiss junior Grand Slam champions also includes Martina Hingis and Stan Wawrinka. “It makes me very happy and proud, too. Yeah, I mean, it's a great achievement for me,” he said, hearing the names he was among. “I'm really just trying to focus on my own journey, too. Yes, it just makes it very special. Yeah, I hope that I can continue the year like this.”

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