Who are you, Remy Bertola?

I had absolutely no idea who this player was before today, and here’s what I found out

Bertola is a 27-year-old Swiss with a distinctive profile: he’s not very tall (1.75m) but he’s got really good hands, and yep, he’s another Swiss with a one-handed backhand! I caught up on a few matches he played this year to get a feel for his style and level, but it’s hard to be certain—I don’t know how he reacts to pressure or intense matches, etc. What I saw is a fairly complete player who can play in rhythm even on the backhand side and who likes to build with his forehand; it’s not the most powerful, but it really does the job. He still dips into Futures now and then and plays quite a bit on clay—no surprise given his profile. He puts a lot of kick on his serve and his forehand can really pop. He came through qualifying by beating Mannarino (who was coming back from Hong Kong) and Halys. The second one is more impressive because Halys is strong indoors, and on top of that the Frenchman’s game is supposed to trouble him—but nope! In the end, Bertola didn’t even get broken in two qualifying matches. It’s always hard to sort truth from noise and tell how much he’s overperforming relative to his ceiling, but one thing’s for sure: he’s coming in with two wins under his belt and he’s going to believe like never before! He draws Munar in the first round; the Spaniard hasn’t played since his loss to Djoko. Once again, the Spaniard managed to raise his level at a big tournament, only to slump afterward? This is an ATP 500, after all, not a small event. Even if the idea of Munar indoors sounds scary, I have to remind you that this year he’s had his best results on faster surfaces—enough to take him seriously. What I’m really wondering about is the match-up: a guy who gets a lot back isn’t supposed to bother Munar—quite the opposite. On the other hand, we consistently see the Spaniard feel the heat when he plays locals and in the end he shits himself. I don’t know how much Bertola can light up Court No. 2 tomorrow, but I actually think it’s better it’s played there than on center court! So, do we give the Swiss a shot?