Determination, family, resilience: Elias Ymer won’t stop chasing the Top 100

Elias Ymer has lived a life defined by discipline, humility and a deep appreciation for hard work.

Born on April 10, 1996 in the small Swedish town of Skara, the son of Ethiopian immigrants was raised with the clear expectation of becoming a professional athlete. Together with brothers Mikael and Rafael, his parents—Kelemework Elias, a pediatrician, and Ymer Wondwosen, a nutritional engineer and marathon runner—originally hoped their sons would become runners. But the boys instead chose tennis.

With limited resources, the family traveled across Sweden in an old, borrowed car to attend tournaments, sometimes using the vehicle as hotel. Elias recalled once sharing the car with a frog during a rainstorm, a humble moment that only fueled his hunger to succeed.

From a brilliant junior career to an ATP ranking of No. 105 (achieved in June 2018), Elias has experienced the highs and lows of the sport. Though currently 260th due to injuries, particularly a nagging right elbow, he has never stopped believing. His game continues to evolve, and with a new training base at the Giorgio Galimberti Tennis Academy in Cattolica, Italy, he’s working tirelessly under the guidance of coaches Igor Gaudí and Federico Bertuccioli to finally crack the Top 100.

“I am finding out more and more my game style at the moment,” Elias reflects. “I am trying to become more aggressive and working on coming to the net more often. I have that game in me, but I haven’t shown it yet.

“I have an offensive game, but I am not really using it. That’s probably my strength and weakness at the same time.”

From the Challenger Tour to Centre Court

Elias has captured six titles on the ATP Challenger Tour and is no stranger to big stages. He made his ATP Tour debut in 2014 at the Stockholm Open and has trained under a list of notable coaches, from Robin Söderling and Frederik Rosengren to Fernando Gonzalez. Tennis legends have taken notice: Roger Federer invited Elias to a training session in Switzerland; he practiced at the Rafael Nadal Academy in 2018; he also hit with Carlos Alcaraz at Juan Carlos Ferrero’s academy in Villena, Spain.

The 29-year-old's best performances have come on clay, notably quarterfinal finishes in Gstaad in 2016 and 2022. In 2024, Elias made headlines by pushing Jack Draper to five sets on Centre Court at Wimbledon.

"I think people have the narrative that only the Top 100 players in the world or Top 50 players in the world or Top 20 players play great tennis," said Draper after the match. "I think the world's Top 200 or 300 play unbelievable on their day.

"He was fired up. He came out firing. I was trying to find my level, trying to find how I could try and understand his game and stuff. I think I did a good job in the end to come through."

Elias' physical preparation is relentless—many on tour consider him one of the fittest athletes.

“He is the toughest worker worldwide,” friends say, and he complements his work ethic with a positive mindset grounded in faith. “He believes in God and tries to improve day by day. And he really does.”

I think people have the narrative that only the Top 100 players in the world or Top 50 players in the world or Top 20 players play great tennis. I think the world's Top 200 or 300 play unbelievable on their day. Jack Draper, after a five-set match at Wimbledon with Elias Ymer

The Swedish tennis legacy

Off the court, Elias stays connected with his roots and his family. He speaks Amharic, Swedish, English and Italian. He’s traveled to over 67 countries and aims to discover a new one each year.

“I like to go out and check new restaurants. I try something new in every city and Google the best spots,” he says with a smile. “When you travel with people, it obviously becomes more fun. I also write a lot about my day, about my thoughts and feelings, and I like to read it back later.”

His brother Mikael reached 50th in the world in 2023, and Rafael, now a student at Elon University, coached Elias between 2022 and 2024.

Despite being from a nation with a rich tennis history, Elias feels the weight of expectations.

“Maybe sometimes we are caught up in the old times,” he says, referencing Sweden’s golden generation of Bjorn Borg and Mats Wilander. “Tennis is very competitive now, and people don’t always understand what it means to be a professional player today.”

A successful junior, he understands the tough transition to the pro tour.

“At juniors level, I mostly reached at least the semis. You win at least three matches in a row. On the men’s tour, you face better players and start losing more often. That affects your confidence. My advice to juniors: get out of the Futures level as quickly as possible. That level can be hard mentally.”

His role models? None other than Mike Tyson: “I am a big fan,” says Elias. “He is different from everyone else. His mentality and his story touch me deeply.”

Like Tyson, Elias Ymer is a fighter. Whether on a packed Centre Court or a practice court in Cattolica, he keeps punching—chasing not just rankings or titles, but the belief that his best is still to come.