Jaume Munar and the changes in his tennis that explain an unexpected success

Mónica Barberán Munera | 8 Feb 2025 | 12.15

Jaume Munar at the ATP Dallas 2025. Photo: getty.

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The week Jaume Munar will have to frame it, no doubt. The Spaniard has become the big surprise of the tournament, as he has managed to reach his first ATP 500 semifinal for the first time in his career, leaving out big names like Ben Shelton or Matteo Arnaldi. This dream week is not a coincidence, as the Spaniard is continuing with a very favorable start to the year.

He wasn't very lucky in the first round of the Australian Open, facing Casper Ruud. Although Jaume was a tough nut to crack, taking the match to the fifth set. That's where some adjustments that the Balearic player has incorporated into his tennis began to show, making it more solid and complete. Now he will have the chance to get his revenge in Dallas, as the Norwegian will be his next opponent. Will he reach his first ATP final since Marbella 2021?

What aspects of his game has he worked on the most for these good results? "I think I am serving better. This is important because I feel like I play more from the baseline and have more opportunities to step in and play aggressively. I don't think I did it very well today, but yesterday against Ben, yes. I can step in many more times and then play calmly on the return. That is the key for me. And then, of course, there is a lot of work from my team and with the psychologist for my mindset. I think it's changing, and I really believe in myself that I can do it. That's what the level I have played this week shows," confessed to Tennis Channel.

We'll have to see tonight, but a victory over Ruud would place him for the first time among the top 50 of the ranking (he is virtually number 53), an achievement that would reaffirm his great improvement on these fast indoor courts. indoor. "It would mean a lot. It's a goal for me. I don't think it's anything special because everyone can think that if I'm 52, I'm aiming higher. The journey doesn't stop there. I have many challenges and goals to achieve and many things to work on. I try to take it day by day. Of course, achieving goals and getting results also helps with confidence and makes it easier to work. But at the end of the day, as I said yesterday, I play tennis because I love it and I keep playing, not based on my ranking," he said.

Staying calm after victories against great players, key

Including Dallas and Hong Kong, Jaume already has two semifinals in one of the best starts to the year of his career. The confidence he is gaining from those victories over Shelton, Musetti and Davidovich is reflected in his results. Even his work in the Davis Cup would have been of great help to fulfill his individual goals. However, he will have to forget about that as soon as he steps on the court against Ruud, as he must avoid at all costs the hangover of success, just as he did with Arnaldi, right after defeating Shelton in the quarterfinals:"I had a great match against Ben. It was a great victory; he is high up in the ranking, and I knew that today against Arnaldi it would be tough, but I felt it was for both of us. I felt I had a chance, but I know he did too. So I tried to stay as calm as possible, focus on what I really need to do and play, rather than what the victory means. I think that's the key that led me to the semifinals today,"

If Munar manages to reach the final in Dallas, he would become the third best Spanish player behind Carlos Alcaraz and Pedro Martínez.