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Dear Swiss Abroad,

Has Switzerland found the next Roger Federer? Probably not, but 21-year-old Dominic Stricker, who won the junior French Open in 2020, has broken into the top 100 after a deep run at the US Open. How far can he go?

Here’s more on that and other news and stories from Switzerland on Monday.

Valais mountains
© Keystone / Gaetan Bally

In the news:  Mountain deaths, a party at Zurich Airport, and the latest challenge facing Swiss luxury watchmakers.

  • The mountains in canton Valais, southwestern Switzerland, have seen a record number of deaths this year: 20 climbers and seven hikers have lost their lives. As a result, the cantonal police have decided to reinforce their rescue unit. Mountain professionals stress the importance of telling those around you before setting off on a hike, as well as bringing the right equipment and enough food and water.
  • Around 140,000 visitors marked the 75th anniversary of Zurich-Kloten Airport at the weekend. Around 40 exhibitors presented aircraft, products and services at the airport over the three days and provided behind-the-scenes insights.
  • Swiss luxury watchmakers who have weathered the rise of smartwatches, a pandemic and the highest inflation in decades say they are worried about a new threat: the strong franc. The vast majority of Swiss watches are sold in the US, Asia and Western Europe, making currency fluctuations a major factor in the industry’s performance.
Livia Leu
Keystone / Peter Schneider

In an exclusive interview with SWI swissinfo.ch, outgoing State Secretary Livia Leu dives into important diplomatic issues such as Ukraine and explains why she’s looking forward to yet another post as ambassador.

Leu, 62, has served as state secretary of the foreign ministry and Switzerland’s chief negotiator with the EU for the past three years. Earlier in her career, she was head of Switzerland’s mission to Iran and ambassador to France. In autumn she will move to Berlin and become Switzerland’s ambassador to Germany.

Leu visited our offices in Bern last week and had an interesting off-the-record podium conversation with our editor-in-chief, Mark Livingston. Afterwards, she spoke on the record to my colleague Giannis Mavris about a range of issues, including the war in Ukraine, Switzerland’s seat on the UN Security Council, and its relationship with the European Union.


Wawrinka and Stricker
© Keystone / Peter Schneider

Who will follow Federer and Wawrinka? I asked this question in an article seven years ago – have we finally found the answer?

The US Open, one of tennis’s four grand slam tournaments, began last Monday with four Swiss taking part. A week later, all four are out, with Dominic Stricker and Belinda Bencic having the deepest run – to the last 16 – before both losing last night. Stan Wawrinka and Marc-Andrea Huesler had been sent home in the third and first rounds respectively.

Bencic, ranked 13 in the world, is currently the most successful Swiss tennis player. But when it comes to finding a replacement for Roger Federer, who retired last year aged 41, and 38-year-old Wawrinka – two of the most successful male tennis players ever – Stricker (pictured with Wawrinka) is generating some excitement.

“The magical run at the US Open has ended for Stricker, the NextGen talent who took out seventh-seed Stefanos Tsitsipas in the second round and, including qualifying, won six matches in New York,” wrote the US OpenExternal link on its website.

Stricker, who turned 21 a couple of weeks ago, visibly enjoyed his match against world number nine Taylor Fritz on Sunday night in front of around 14,000 spectators at the Louis Armstrong Stadium. “Of course I know I’m not the main reason they came here,” he told Swiss public radio, SRF, after losing in straight sets. “But you could see that they also liked me a little bit. It was a cool atmosphere and I enjoyed every minute of it,” he said. “It was a mega great experience.”

Thanks to his exploit in New York, the Bernese left-hander will improve from 128 in the world rankings to 90. The task now is to deliver such performances consistently and not only when there are 14,000 fans in the stadium.

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