Alexander Richard, the ‘miracle’ man thanks to his girlfriend’s nutritional plan | ATP Tour

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Richard, the ‘miracle’ man thanks to his girlfriend’s nutritional plan

Switzerland has won the Challenger title three times this season.

October 2, 2024

Alexander Ritschard is heading into 2024 with a newfound advantage, breaking into the top 100 of the PIF ATP Rankings for the first time on Wednesday. Behind the scenes, a key figure quietly changed his approach.

The Swiss has been fueled by a new nutrition program designed by his girlfriend Kat Berglas. Ritschard, 30, has been dating Berglas for seven months and in that short time her expertise has helped him advance to the ATP Challenger Tour.

“She was the missing piece I needed to do what I’m doing now,” Ritschard told ATPTour.com. “She helped me a lot with my nutrition. It helped me have more energy and feel better. [better]. “I feel very healthy after taking her advice.”

In April, Ritschard fell to world number 209. He has since won three of his four career Challenger titles, including last week in Lisbon, Portugal, where Ritschard received courtside support from Berglas.

When Ritschard first met Berglas, he asked her about her job. When he discovered she was a nutritionist, he asked if she would be willing to help him, and Berglas readily agreed. She created a personalized nutrition plan.

“I can’t give away all the secrets,” Ritschard joked. “Everyone’s body is different and their metabolism is different. Personally, I’m someone who consumes carbohydrates very quickly and sweats a lot, so I need to eat a lot of carbohydrates, eat a lot of salt, and drink a lot of water.

“She has a whole program for me. I eat a certain amount the day before, a certain amount on the day, and eat consistently even when competing. The drinks I drink are very heavy carbohydrate drinks. I’m also eating lots of bananas to replenish potassium and cereal bars for extra carbohydrates. I’m really, really eating carbs and she’s keeping an eye on it.”

One of two players to make their Top 100 debuts on Wednesday (Jacob Fearnley), Ritschard’s path to where he is now took an unexpected turn in 2015 when an artery in his right arm blocked blood flow. Richard, then a student athlete at the University of Virginia, was working out when he felt a sharp, stabbing pain in his shoulder.

What at first seemed trivial quickly escalated and Ritschard found himself in an unimaginable situation within minutes. I lost my right arm.

“I can only believe what they tell me. They said they had to make a decision in the next 5 minutes and the door wouldn’t open. I was lucky and the door opened and the blood started flowing again,” Ritschard said last year.

Ritschard needed several steps to solve the problem. Ritschard, who helped Virginia win, recalled, “One to open the arteries, the second to get rid of the problem. My ribs were so tight that my lungs were so full of blood that I had to pump the blood out.” Won the NCAA team title for three consecutive years.

Post-surgery limitations led Ritschard to question his future in tennis. He debated whether to quit sports after college. But now he is one of an exclusive group that boasts a double-digit number next to his name in the PIF ATP Rankings, world number 99.

Congratulations to Alexander Ritschard on winning the Lisbon Challenger.” style=”width:100%;” src=”https://www.atptour.com/-/media/images/news/2024/09/30 /17/37/ritschard-lisbonch-2024.jpg”>
^{Alexander Ritschard celebrates winning the Del Monte Lisboa Belém Open. Source: Beatriz Ruivo/FPT}

Ritschard has occasional check-up appointments to make sure everything is okay with his right arm, and thankfully he hasn’t had any issues. Last month, a week before winning the Lisbon Challenger title, Ritschard felt his arm go numb while he was sleeping. But doctors put any concerns to rest.

“It was just me sleeping funny,” Ritschard said. “When I checked, everything looked really, really good.”

The moment Ritschard steps onto the court or the doctor’s office, he is reminded of his incredible luck in being able to play a sport he began playing at age 5.

“I was really, really lucky. That’s the only way I can say it,” Ritschard said. “Even now, when I check up with the doctor who performed the surgery, he always smiles when I go in. ‘Wow, you are truly a miracle! This is crazy. I can’t believe you can do what we had to do.’

“It’s always funny to meet him. He’s very proud because he’s like, ‘Yeah, I saved this guy!’”

Now Ritschard is hitting hard from the baseline using the same arm he was once in danger of losing. What could have been a career-ending injury is instead a testament to Ritschard’s incredible resilience.

In terms of his life form, Ritschard is the oldest Top 100 debut since Emilio Gomez achieved the milestone in October 2022.

“Ever since I was little, my dream was to be in the top 100,” Richard said. “So this is definitely a very special moment for me.”