The fickleness of players like Andrey Rublev, Happy Auger-Also or Denis Shapovalov poses riddles. In terms of play, they have what it takes to be at the forefront. But what is the problem in the end?
by Stefan Bergman
last edited: 08/16/2023, 2:40 p.m
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Denis Shapovalov is considered one of the most inconsistent players in the higher ATP ranking hemispheres
Constance is not only a beautiful city on Lake Constance, but also one of the most important qualities that an athlete needs to be able to perform loudly in the concert of the big ones. In tennis, performance stability plays a very special role, because in extreme cases you have to be able to pull off up to six top performances per week to win a tournament – not counting any qualifying rounds – and that week after week.
The majority of the top 100 players can come up with consistent performances over the entire tennis season, depending on the level of performance there is then an almost logical world ranking position. Carlos Alcaraz, Novak Djokovic or Casper Ruud or Daniil Medvedev are at the absolute top level, but players like the Spaniard Roberto Carballes Baena are also continuously performing – just a few steps down in the ranking.
The performances of the players mentioned at the beginning give you more to think about: The Canadian Denis Shapovalov is the grab bag of the ATP tour par excellence. Although the Tel Aviv-born world number 22. has already shown incredibly strong games against players à la Rafael Nadal or Stefanos Tsitsipas (against whom he has a positive head-to-head), only a tournament success in 2019 in Stockholm is on his credit side.
Really right mental approach?
For his part, Moscow’s Andrey Rublev may have 14 tournament wins under his belt, but there’s always a feeling that the Russian could do better – especially given his powerful groundstrokes and all-round feel-good package. This season, tournament victories in Monte Carlo (his first Masters 1000 title ever) and Bastad are offset by rather inexplicable opening defeats in Toronto and Cincinnati. Especially the 3:16 hour fight against the Finn Emil Ruusuvuori in the US state of Ohio gave the fans countless gray hairs.
And at the age of 23, Felix Auger-Aliassime has also reached an age at which he can no longer put his seven bankruptcies in the 2023 season under the category “juvenile carelessness”.
Sure, you can’t look inside any player, but if you become aware of the playful ability of the three named, it is reasonable to assume that most of the catching up work can be done on the first floor. Psychologists and therapists for the mental area are essential in top-class sport today. So Rublev, Shapovalov and Auger-Aliassime, who are on the supervisory staff, the question may be asked whether a change in this category would not bring advantages. A look from a new perspective is often enough to clear psychological blockages. However, the same applies here as always: everything is easier said than done.
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Shapovalov Denis Rublev Andrei Auger-alias Felix
2023-08-16 14:00:00
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