Stan Wawrinka's Too Close for Comfort encounter - UBITENNIS
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Stan Wawrinka’s Too Close for Comfort encounter

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9 years ago

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Stan Wawrinka

September 4th 2015
By Jillian Wright

At noon local time today around the grounds of the Billie Jean King National Tennis Center, there were easily dozens of matches spread out for one to enjoy. One could have easily walked past Louis Armstrong Stadium where Wawrinka was just warming up for this match against the up and comer Hyeon Chung in pursuit of a less lopsided match. As it turned out however, it was anything but lopsided as one may have expected. Wawrinka emerged in straight sets to victory (7-6, 7-6, 7-6), but it was a very hard battle that demonstrated the level of competition the players face at the year’s final Grand Slam.

Hyeon Chung hails from South Korea, and at 19 years of age had just turned pro last year. He is already ranked #69, yet has stayed relatively unknown on tour. The way the match unfolded, it was obvious the young Korean had yet to register on the Swiss’s radar as well until today. They both wore blue for their match, and it would be easy to mistakenly assume the similarities ended there. For Chung, without the sort of fancy endorsements afforded to Grand Slam Champions,  was using a discontinued Dunlop M 3.0 racket without stencil. But he pushed the #5 seed to the brink over and over again in a very tense 2nd round match.

From the very first ball Chung was hitting big right away going for his shots, which Stan responded in kind.  One quickly saw why the underdog has risen so high in the rankings after just a year on tour, as he showed good anticipation, quick footwork, and early preparation on both wings to hit with pace. The man from Switzerland was unfazed however, and quickly broke for a 2-0 lead. Unable to put Stan’s big serving in play, Chung quickly fell behind 0-3. It looked like a routine match at this point for the fairly empty stadium in Armstrong, which boasts a very intimate atmosphere.

Not to be discouraged, Chung continued to pound his groundstrokes, and managed to get on the scoreboard. Then, just like that, Wawrinka sprayed a forehand out of the air easily 10 ft out, and then committed another unforced error to give back the break. It became evident that the Swiss was playing tight with plenty of nerves, as Chung continued to play his high risk low percentage game, which paid off when Stan floated a slice long to level at 3-3. In the next game, Chung held onto the momentum by securing his first break point chance, but a forehand clips the net and landed out to give Stan the hold. With the set back on serve, Wawrinka began to play very odd, taking all pace off with sliced shots off both wings, and it looked like he was changing the game plan to throw off his opponent’s rhythm. Chung remained unfazed, and holds easily. Scraping the new tactic, Stan immediately goes back to hitting big on his service game which pushed Chung way back from the baseline. Even then, he had to serve 3 straight aces just to hold. Although Chung was consistently hitting 2nd serves, Stan never sought to capitalize on the Korean’s weakest point, instead choosing to slice the return.  He then allowed the first ace from Chung to take the set to a tiebreak.

The buzz was beginning to fill the air around the grounds at this point. Trying to assert himself, Stan finally started to play pro actively, much like Chung had been doing all match. When it came to both guys crushing the ball, the distinction was revealed: the younger player lacked the consistency of his elders. Chung began to miss his high risk shots, one down the line followed by yet another backhand into the net to give Stan the set.

The 2nd set Stan continued to show signs of nerves, and gave Chung the early break for 2-0, then 3-0. Struggling to hold, Stan saved a handful of break points to make it 3-1. His body language remained very negative, and combined with sluggish footwork Chung found himself up 4-1. It wasn’t until the 7th game during a long backhand exchange that seemed to wake up the Swiss back into the match, and he converted the break point at 0-40 to 3-4. It was back on serve. At 5-5 however, Stan squandered another break point chance and was forced to hold serve for another tiebreak. Once again, Chung kept to the game plan with big hitting and risky play, which was perfect against the frustrated and unmotivated Swiss, but the lack of execution secured the bow on the gift box to Stan once more.

The 3rd set saw the stadium packed now, as many wanted to witness the inspired play opposite the bottled frustration for the last 2 hours. In the 2nd game, Stan missed a break point chance and showed his growing frustration by tossing the racket. The negative body language continued, as Stan remained passive staying far behind the baseline even on 2nd serve returns, content to slice it back down the middle. Here both players seemed to feel the weight of the match, trading rally balls crosscourt back and forth and kept games on serve. This went on for 9 whole games, especially for Stan who looked like he was merely going through the motions. (It is fair to point out that he could hit one hand backhands in his sleep). Finally at 6-5 Chung’s forehand clips the net which lured Stan out of his sleep to the net, and he earned match point.  Chung refused to go away quietly, and woke up as well, saving break points to take it to yet another tiebreak. The two then chose to gift each other mini breaks. At 5-6, ad side, Stan gathered the courage he needed all match, and hit a massive kicker out wide to stay in the set. He followed it up with a forehand winner down the line for match point. This time, he secured the set, and the win. It was, as anyone watching would conclude easily, too close for comfort.

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Wrist Injury Threatening To End Holger Rune’s Olympic Dream

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5 days ago

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21/07/2024

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Holger Rune will have a second medical opinion on Monday before deciding if he is fit enough to play at the Olympic Games, according to his team. 

The Danish world No.17 recently retired from his quarter-final match at the Hamburg Open due to a knee injury. The hope at the time was that his withdrawal would be just a precautionary measure ahead of the Olympics. However, he is also dealing with a second issue that appears to be more serious.

According to TV 2 Sport, Rune has been struggling with a wrist issue and underwent a scan on Sunday which his mother Aneke says ‘doesn’t look promising.’ Aneke is also the manager of her son’s career. Rune’s Olympic dreams now rest on the outcome of a second medical expert that he will visit tomorrow who has a better understanding of the sport. 

“Unfortunately, it does not look promising after the first medical opinion after the review of the scan of the wrist,” Aneke Rune told TV 2 Sport.

“We are waiting for two tennis-specific doctors who will give a second opinion tomorrow (Monday). Tennis wrists look different from regular wrists, so we’ll hold out hope for one more day.” 

Rune is one of three Danish players entered into the Olympic tennis event along with Caroline Wozniacki and Clara Tauson. The country has only won one medal in tennis before which was at the 1912 Games when Sofie Castenschiold won silver in the women’s indoor singles event. 

So far this season, the 21-year-old has won 27 matches on the Tour but is yet to claim a title. He reached the final of the Brisbane International and then the semi-finals of three more events. In the Grand Slams, he made it to the fourth round of the French Open and Wimbledon. 

It is not known when a final decision regarding Rune’s participation in Paris will be made.

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Hubert Hurkacz Undergoes ‘Knee Procedure’ Ahead of Olympic Bid

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1 week ago

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17/07/2024

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Poland’s top player on the ATP Tour is not giving up on his dream of winning a medal at the Olympic Games despite recently undergoing a medical procedure.

World No.7 Hubert Hurkacz suffered a knee injury during his second round clash at Wimbledon against France’s Arthur Fils. In the fourth set tiebreak of their clash, Hurkacz dived for a shot but landed badly on his knee and required on-court medical attention. He then played two more points before retiring from the match. 

In a social media post published on Wednesday, the  27-year-old confirmed he underwent a procedure on his knee earlier this week but didn’t provide any further details.  Although Hurkacz has stated his intention to play at the upcoming Olympic Games in Paris, where the tennis event will be held on the clay at Roland Garros. 

“I had a knee procedure this Monday, but I’m feeling better already and my team and are dedicating extensive time each day to the rehab process.” He wrote on Instagram. 

“It’s a dream for every athlete to represent their country at the Olympics, and I want to make sure I am fully fit and ready before making the final decision to step on court. The aim is not only to participate, but to win a medal for my country.”

So far this season Hurkacz has won 34 out of 48 matches played on the Tour. He won the Estoril Open in April and was runner-up to Jannik Sinner in Halle. 

The Olympic tennis event is scheduled to begin a week Saturday on July 27th. Poland is yet to win a medal in the event but expectations are high with women’s No.1 Iga Swiatek also taking part. 

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Motivation, Pressure And Expectations – Novak Djokovic Targets History At Wimbledon

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2 weeks ago

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13/07/2024

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image via x.com/wimbledon

Novak Djokovic has broken numerous records throughout his career but he still feels the pressure of trying to make history in the sport. 

The world No.2 is through to his 10th Wimbledon final where he will play Carlos Alcaraz, who beat him at this stage of the tournament 12 months ago. There is plenty on the line for the Serbian who could equal Roger Federer’s record for most men’s titles won at SW19 and break the overall record for most major singles won in the sport if he triumphs over the Spaniard. Djokovic currently has 24 Grand Slam trophies to his name which is the same as Margaret Court, who won some of her titles before the Open Era started. 

“Obviously I’m aware that Roger [Federer] holds eight Wimbledons. I hold seven. History is on the line.” Djokovic said on Friday after beating Lorenzo Musetti.

“Also, the 25th potential Grand Slam. Of course, it serves as a great motivation, but at the same time it’s also a lot of pressure and expectations.”

Coming into Wimbledon, there had been doubts over Djokovic’s form after he underwent surgery to treat a knee injury he suffered at the French Open. However, he has defied the odds to reach the final. His run has also seen him beat Alexi Popyrin and Holger Rune before getting a walkover in the quarter-finals from Alex de Minaur, who sustained an injury during the tournament. Then on Friday, he overcame a spirited Musetti in three sets. 

Despite the challenge, Djokovic has insisted that his expectations to do well are always high no matter what the situation is. During what has been a roller-coaster first six months of the season, he is yet to win a title this year or beat a player currently ranked in the top 10. Although he will achieve both of these if her beats Alcaraz on Sunday. 

“Every time I step out on the court now, even though I’m 37 and competing with the 21-year-olds, I still expect myself to win most of the matches, and people expect me to win, whatever, 99% of the matches that I play.” He said.

“I always have to come out on the court and perform my best in order to still be at the level with Carlos [Alcaraz] or Jannik [Sinner] or Sascha [Zverev] or any of those guys, Daniil [Medvedev]. 

“This year hasn’t been that successful for me. It’s probably the weakest results the first six months I’ve had in many years. That’s okay. I had to adapt and accept that and really try to find also way out from the injury that I had and kind of regroup.”

Djokovic hopes that a Wimbledon win will help turn his season around like it has done in the past for him. 

“Wimbledon historically there’s been seasons where I wasn’t maybe playing at a desired level, but then I would win a Wimbledon title and then things would change.” He commented.

“For example, that was the case in 2018 when I had elbow surgery earlier in the year, dropped my rankings out of top 20, losing in fourth round of Australian Open, I think it was quarters of Roland-Garros, and just not playing the tennis that I want to play. Then I won Wimbledon and then won US Open and then later on became No.1 very soon.”

Meanwhile, 21-year-old Alcaraz is hoping to stop Djokovic in his tracks. Should he defend his title at Wimbledon, he would become the first player outside the Big Three to do so since Pete Sampras more than 20 years ago. He has won their only previous meeting on the grass but trails their head-to-head 3-2. 

“I’m sure he knows what he has to do to beat me,” said Alcaraz.

“But I’m ready to take that challenge and I’m ready to do it well.”

When the two players take to the court to play in the Wimbledon final, Djokovic will be 15 years and 348 days older than Alcaraz. Making it the largest age gap in a men’s Grand Slam final since the 1974 US Open. Whoever is victorious will receive £2,700,000 in prize money. 

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