While space players wouldn’t choose space for themselves as the purpose of the game is to advance, in the world of tag teams and partnerships it’s fair game to use. ask Yuki Bumbry.
The 32-year-old is in the middle of his career, playing with seven partners in two-man team play before settling with the 6-foot-8 player Albano Olivetti In 2024, he competed in 16 games with the team, reaching the finals four times and winning two championships, and ended the year in the top 50 for the first time in his career.
“It’s a good effort to be in the finals four times,” Bumbri said. “I don’t think it’s been a fantastic season, but from the performance I had in January to the end of the season, it was good. It’s great to start the season with an existing partner, which gives us a little bit of an advantage.
banbury and Olivetti Brisbane and Adelaide are already in their plans Australian Open January.
The Indo-French pair have performed well in ATP 250 events but are yet to break through at higher levels.
“We’re still finding our footing in the bigger tournaments, and there are some games where we’ve had chances and other games where we’ve just been blown away,” Bembry said. “This season is more of a learning experience and thanks to everything we’ve learned, we can do even better next season.”
Bambry, who ended the season ranked 48th in the individual doubles rankings, did something he hadn’t done in the past five years, even though his body was broken and his spirits were low. In November, he traveled to Norway with a group of friends for an end-of-season vacation to see the Northern Lights, something that had always been on his bucket list.
“We were there for a week and visited three cities – Trondheim, Lofoten and Oslo. It was a good break from the snow, wind and layering (clothes),” Bambry said. And added, “It was a mixed group, six of us. The good thing about the injury (from late 2018 to early 2022) was that I could spend a lot of time at home and I started socializing. I had the opportunity to meet people outside of tennis. Some cool people.
“The break comes at the right time, I’ve had a great season and it’s cause for celebration. A few other guys in the group are also celebrating anniversaries and milestone birthdays, so that’s really nice,” Bumbri said.
The 32-year-old, who finished first in the junior category and won the men’s singles title at the 2009 Australian Open, said his biggest lesson from this season was patience.
“I remember in January and February, I was really panicking. I wanted to get to the next level…it was difficult not having those wins at first,” he said. “Doubles are very fast-paced and unpredictable. You could go home happy or sad, literally, depending on the point. I’d never really been on a rollercoaster of emotions before.
“I continued to do my job and play with a positive attitude, but I do remember going into some games earlier that you kind of doubt yourself. I was wondering if I belonged at this level,” he said.
Bembry missed three seasons with tendinitis in his right knee, switching to doubles except for a few games.
“In singles matches, you can sometimes see who is the better player,” he said. “In doubles, you can bring all the right things to the court and still end up losing.”
In April 2018, Bembry’s singles career-best ranking rose to No. 83, and he realized the importance of staying “calm” when dealing with the storm of competition. It doesn’t always work in match play, but persistence is important.
