NEW YORK – Tennis is such a solitary sport. No one but your opponent on a particular day knows what you’re going through: the anxieties, the pressure, the joy and the sadness that comes from the result of a yellow ball struck with force to the other side of the net.

But every once in a while, if you’re lucky, you are with someone who knows exactly what you’re going through, because they’re experiencing the same thing.

Mees Rottgering is one of the best junior boys players in the world. Seeded No.4 at the US Open Junior Championships, the 17-year-old has enjoyed a sensational year, highlighted by reaching the Wimbledon boys final in July.

Rottgering, from the Netherlands, unfortunately wasn’t able to complete his dream of a Slam championship, falling to Nicolai Budaj Kjaer of Norway.

Fortunately for the Dutch player, there was someone very close to him who knew how he felt: his girlfriend, Emerson Jones. The Australian also reached the final in the girls singles, and also came up just short, falling to Renata Jamrichova of Slovakia.

“We kept each other calm the whole week; we didn’t talk about tennis at all,” Rottgering said. “We just did boyfriend-girlfriend stuff. And then when I lost, I was mad, of course, but then she helped me get through it, and we talked about (our finals) together.”

“We talked all week about wanting to keep winning, and for a week it was going great,” Jones said. “It’s good to have him to talk to, and we both were in the same situation (after the final), so we helped each other a lot.”

Rottgering and Jones may find themselves in the finals again here in New York, as both have advanced so far.

On Monday Rottgering played his first match of the Open and defeated American Jack Kennedy, 6-4, 6-1.

He admitted to being tired after playing J300 Repentigny, losing in the final on Saturday.

“I only had a one-hour hit (yesterday) on these courts so it takes a little while to get used to,” he said. “But I was happy how I played in the second set today.”

Rottgering has been playing tennis for a decade, he said, all with the same coach in the Netherlands, Jocham Mol.

Rottgering is from Wanssum, about an hour from Eindhoven, where he trains, and said he loved the sport from the very start.

For many years he tried to do everything like a certain Spanish 21-time Grand Slam winner.

“I did everything Nadal, dressed like him and tried to play like him,” Rottgering said. “I just loved how he played and what he did.”

Rottgering has moved up the rankings this year and reached semi-finals at the Australian Open and at the J500 Milan tournament.

He gave a large amount of credit to Mol for helping him “make better choices during the points, and hit better shots.”

Rottgering said he hopes to turn professional next year, as college tennis doesn’t interest him.

“With a team, if I lose and the team wins, I’m still sad,” he said with a smile.

Here in New York, he’s hoping to take one step further than he did at Wimbledon, with Jones by his side.

“She’s good for me; if I win and I complain that I played so badly she says ‘shut up, you won!” he said with a smile. “I hope we both win here, that would be great.”