Nicolas Massu on Hubert Hurkach’s comeback: ‘If you keep your work ethic, nothing is impossible’ | ATP Tour

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Massu on Hurkacs’ comeback: “If you maintain your professional ethics, nothing is impossible”

Hulkac’s coach talks exclusively about Pole’s return

January 8, 2026

Ahead of the Fed Cup, former world number nine Nicolas Massu spoke to his player Hubert Hulkac. The Pole is preparing for his first game in seven months after suffering a knee injury that required surgery last July.

The message from the Chileans was clear.

“Enjoy the game again,” Massu told Hulkac. “Look back at where you’ve been over the past seven months and everything you’ve been through. You deserve to be here. Be grateful for that. Enjoy the moment. Take it one step at a time and don’t think too much about the outcome.”

Since then, Hurkacs had a dream start to his comeback in Sydney, defeating world No. 3 Alexander Zverev and Talon Grikspoor in straight sets, helping the Polish team enter the quarter-finals of the mixed team competition.

“I’m really, really happy because we went through difficult times. When you’re out for seven months – which is a long time – you need to be patient,” Massu said. “You need to be strong. It’s not easy because sometimes you just want to start thinking about the tournament. You’re out for a few weeks and then the recovery is slow.”

While Hurkacz’s performance at Ken Rosewall Arena was outstanding, with him recording his 20th victory over a top-10 opponent according to the Infosys ATP Win-Loss Index, that doesn’t mean the performances in recent months have been perfect. Things are far off for the Pole, who has had knee surgery for the second consecutive season.

“It’s not easy to always keep the faith because the days are long and it takes a lot of therapy and recovery,” Massu said. “But at the same time, I completely believe — because I’ve experienced this in so many years on tour, so many years in tennis — that at some point, if you stay strong, you believe, you work hard, you deserve it.”

Massu made it clear that Hulkac has done everything he can, not only to recover physically, but also to prepare for his comeback. From Marbella and Malaga to Monaco and Poland, Hurkacz has done everything he can to put himself in moments like the one he has experienced over the past week.

“Hubi’s work ethic is unbelievable. He follows everything 100 percent. If he has to do it, he does it and more,” Massu said. “It’s not just on the court, it’s off the court too: how he takes care of the food, the treatments, all the stretching. So I think when you work like this, [positive] Things need to come back. You deserve this outcome. “

For Hurkach, every day is the same. Get up early and work hard day and night. There are moments of pain and fatigue. But as the coach explains, “these things are hard.”

“My experience in life and in my tennis career is that everything that’s going against you, or sometimes it’s dark, at the end of the tunnel, you see the light,” Massu said. “You need to keep the faith.”

The two-time Olympic gold medalist returned to Chile for about three months before returning to Europe in September to help the Poles resume on-court training. They are taking things very slowly and the priority is to listen to Dr. Hulkac and the physiotherapists. The key is not to rush.

“Everything we need to do, we’re doing it, and we’re listening to the right people,” Massu said. “We’re strong in difficult moments and I think for me, from my perspective, all I want is to see him play on the court again.”

One thing the Pole certainly hasn’t left is his serve. Hulkac hit 42 aces in four sets and faced a break point against a strong opponent.

“It’s a big talent,” Massu said. “And for sure, he works a lot. He puts a lot of focus out there.”

But the Chilean is also keen to point out what a versatile player Hulkac is. The world No. 83 is 6-foot-5, but there’s more to his serve than meets the eye.

“I think he is a very complete player. I still believe he can even play on clay at the same level as on hard courts,” Massu said. “Of course, we need to improve some small details to allow him to fight at the top level again. But the most important thing is health, and I still believe that if he is healthy, we can achieve good results.”

Hurkach is just getting started. While he hopes to maintain his good early form in Sydney this week, the overall comeback is only just beginning. Ma Su believed in his responsibility.

“I always believe that if you keep your work ethic, if you keep a positive attitude, nothing is impossible,” Massu said. “One day, you will recover.”