Looking to put Swedish tennis back on the map, Elias Ymer has done it the hard way in 2015.

From the greats like Bjorn Borg, Stefan Edberg and Mats Wilander to the more contemporary Thomas Johansson, Jonas Bjorkman, Thomas Enqvist, Magnus Norman and Robin Soderling, the ATP World Tour's upper echelon has oft born the yellow-and-blue flag representing the Scandinavian nation.

Soderling - a two-time major finalist and former world number four - was the last Swede to penetrate the top tier of men's tennis, and his time at the top was sadly shortened by mononucleosis in 2011.

Enter Ymer.

The lightly built teenager of Ethiopian descent is making waves on the professional circuit, and will undoubtedly bloom beyond his current ranking of 143rd, and his best of 130th.

Why?

Well, he has just done what only one other player has done before him, qualifying for all four grand slams in a calendar year (Frank Dancevic the other) - completing the feat at the US Open with a two-set win over Albert Montanes.

Qualifying tournaments are the bastard child of the main draw for fleeting tennis fans, but for those that make it worth their while arriving early normally have the last laugh.

While some opt to take their chances awaiting a free pass - ahem, a wildcard - Ymer has actively pursued the tough path and succeeded.

It has not, as yet, produced a main-draw win, but he toiled hard in a five-set loss to Go Soeda in Melbourne, a three-set loss to Lukas Rosol in Paris and a four-set defeat to Ivo Karlovic in London.

Awaiting him in the first round in New York is Diego Schwartzman, who has only one more win than Ymer on the grand slam stage.

Preceding his run at Flushing Meadows, Ymer spent time with 17-time major winner Roger Federer - the latter, of course, mentored by Edberg.

The 19-year-old said the Swiss, as to be expected, was all class.

"Roger, he's an unbelievable guy and he taught me a lot about how to play these points," Ymer said via usopen.org. 

"We had dinners together, lunch, he gave me some media tips on how to speak with the media and everything. He's a great guy.

"He's so professional with everything he does, he's just perfect. 

"I think I have a pretty good work ethic, but to see him person-to-person when we were practicing, it felt surreal. It felt really like a dream come true."

Swedish tennis has been looking for its next star since Soderling's illness issues arose in 2011.

By the ovation he caused when he won his first ATP-level match at the Swedish Open in July 2014 - he beat Mikhail Kukushkin in two sets - Ymer is well aware he is playing with the expectation of rising to the levels of his predecessors.

Lofty heights, sure, but wins already over the likes of Kukushkin, Nick Kyrgios and Igor Sijsling show the top 100 will not be unfamiliar to the Stockholm resident, who prefers the hard toil of clay-court tennis.

He has already shown off the work ethic necessary to take the next step when he earned his first-round cheque at three majors.

Ymer will be hungry to turn that into something more this week, and begin to lead Swedish tennis into a new era.