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Rodesch learned to walk again, now climbing the Challenger circuit

Read how this 24-year-old overcame a childhood health scare

February 03, 2026

Chris Rodesch was a promising youngster weighing a choice between college tennis and turning pro. At the age of 17, he seemed to be on the path to college, until tennis completely disappeared from the equation.

The Luxembourger was instead learning how to walk again and perform daily tasks in 2019. Rodesch – now ranked as high as number 138 in the PIF ATP Rankings following a back-to-back title run on the ATP Challenger circuit – was diagnosed with Guillain-Barré syndrome, an autoimmune disease caused by food poisoning that he picked up at a junior tournament.

“My body just went numb,” Rodesch told ATPtour.com. “I could no longer open bottles, I could no longer walk straight.

Raised in a sporting family – his father a Luxembourg national football player and his mother a former basketball player – Rodesch spent his childhood developing elite athletic skills. Rodesch, who is 6’6″ (198cm) tall, played handball and soccer, but tennis was “always the best.” He was inspired to pick up a racquet after watching Rafael Nadal and Roger Federer battle it out in the Roland Garros final.

But the foundation of Rodesch’s athletic life quickly disappeared when he battled an autoimmune disease.

“I remember going to the neurologist for the first time and I showed him what I couldn’t do anymore because of my emotions. I couldn’t stand straight anymore,” recalled Rodesch. “I lost my strength and at that moment he said, ‘This is the disease. We have to hospitalize you’.”

The fear for Rodesch’s life was so severe that, for a time, his tennis career became an afterthought.

“At first, I wasn’t even thinking about competitive tennis,” Rodesch said. “I was thinking of being healthy again, being able to go to school again because I’m still in high school. Tennis really became a fifth thing.”

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Stop for two days of prize-winning Portugal for Rodesch#ATPChallenger pic.twitter.com/p4BysYUiCj

– ATP Challenger (@ATPChallenger) February 1, 2026

His road back to the field was a long journey, requiring two years to return to his previous playing level. After three months of rehabilitation, Rodesch began playing with a smaller racquet and lighter balls 10 and under, aiming to regain the feeling of hitting a tennis ball. It took six months before Rodesch could play normally again and one year before he could start competing. It was a difficult, uncertain time.

“I saw all my friends playing these great tournaments, the junior Grand Slams and I was lying there in bed,” said Rodesch, who is no longer living with the problem of this disease.

Even in the face of adversity, Rodesch saw a small fortune. He also thinks about that terrible membrane from the point of view of vision.

“There are people with that disease whose face is deformed or they don’t recover from it, maybe they use a wheelchair after that,” he said. “It was a long process, but I was very lucky.

“I learned to be patient, but also to find joy in what we do here. We travel the world and explore these beautiful places.”

Before getting sick, Rodesch was leaning towards playing college tennis in the United States and in 2020, that dream came true. He began his career at the University of Virginia, where he would become a three-time ITA All-American and graduate in 2024.

“I’m very grateful to the University of Virginia because I didn’t have results for two years because of illness,” said Rodesch. “UVA is one of the most competitive college teams out there, so they took a chance on me, they gave me that scholarship, because I didn’t show them that I was ready to compete with them, I don’t think. I have to thank them again and again because they trusted me and it’s amazing for them and it shows their character.”

Following an outstanding career at the Cavaliers, Rodesch transitioned to the ATP Challenger circuit and has won three titles at that level. His first win came last April in Tallahassee, where he ended Emilio Nava’s 19-game hitting streak in the finals.

“You always hear as a kid, ‘Challenges are a stepping stone to the ATP’, and it makes you proud to be a part of this kind of Challenger Tour history,” Rodesch said of his first Challenger crown.

On Sunday, Rodesch capped a perfect fortnight at the ATP Challenger events in Oeiras, Portugal, where he won two titles in a row. He has much to be proud of, and the various lessons he has learned in overcoming Guillain-Barré syndrome.

“Being there when you achieve something big because something like that can go so fast,” Rodesch said. “I think all these little lessons I’ve learned – being present, being patient, having a positive attitude – help me even now sometimes to get through a difficult phase.”

Chris Rodesch wins Oeiras Indoor 2.” style=”width:100%” src=”https://www.atptour.com/-/media/images/news/2026/02/01/22/56/rodesch-oeirasch-2026-trophy.jpg”>
^{Chris Rodesch wins back-to-back ATP Challenger titles in Oeiras, Portugal. Credit: Beatriz Ruivo/FPT}