"Henry will never become the same player that Roger was" - Federer's ex-coach gives verdict on new Swiss ward, Henry Bernet

Rising Swiss tennis sensation Henry Bernet has already drawn comparisons to Swiss legend Roger Federer, even going as far as hiring the former World No.1's coach, Severin Luthi. However, Luthi believes his new mentee will not be able to live up to the expectations.

Bernet won the 2025 junior Australian Open title, and has been touted as Switzerland's next big tennis star. The 18-year old has drawn plenty of comparisons to Federer, as he trains at Federer’s boyhood club in Switzerland, hits a one-handed backhand, and works with his former coach Luthi.

In an interview with Watson, Luthi urged people to not get carried away with the comparisons between Bernet and the 20-time Grand Slam champion.

“I know people love these parallels and I certainly recognize that they haven’t been pulling their hair out either," said Luthi. "There are some obvious similarities between the two, but the reality is that Henry will never become the same player that Roger was.
“He is only 18 years old, he still has to find his identity as a player and as a person. Right now, even he doesn’t know what kind of player he is and what kind of player he can become."

Although Luthi was not with Bernet when the 18-year old won the juniors title in Australia, the Swiss coach stated he was in constant communication with the youngster and would like to improve certain aspects of Bernet's game.

"I have a lot of challenges going through my mind when working with Henry," said Luthi. “First of all, I want to see him show the same motivation, discipline and passion every day, regardless of whether he is playing in smaller tournaments, where the conditions are not so good, the court is bad and the light is not ideal. I want to see if he is still the same where there are hardly any spectators, because he most likely still has to develop a certain maturity.
"Secondly, I want to see his long-term goals. It's normal for a young player to get impatient if he sees that things aren't moving forward. At the moment, he seems very professional, but more is not always better, I've learned that over the years.
“There's a danger that the player will burn out and let himself go. There's even the risk of thinking that having the best team around you makes you a better player."