Week 33 - Cincinnati Masters (ATP 1000 Series) - R3: Andy vs Ernests Gulbis

philwrig · Hall of fame

RE: Week 33 - Cincinnati Masters (ATP 1000 Series) - R3: Andy vs Ernests Gulbis

Madeline · Admin:Moderator + Tennis Legend

The 4th spot will be no help if he doesn't have enough in the tank to even get to the semis.

Stircrazy · Tennis legend

Phew! I feared the worst in the third set when Andy failed to consolidate his early break & it went to a tie-break. Very obliging of Gulbis to chuck in all those UEs, in spite of which Andy was still hanging on by his fingertips at the end. Not one of his better performances...

indiana · Tennis legend

Madeline wrote:

The 4th spot will be no help if he doesn't have enough in the tank to even get to the semis.

Yep. You made good point the other day, Mad, about last year. Delpo was pretty out on his feet at the end of last year's Canada final against Murray, having won in Washington the week before. He decided to withdraw from Cincinnati and guess who won the US Open.

Well Andy's going to have the one whole week off anyway rather than Delpo's two, hope it is enough. It should be enough if Andy himself can allow himself one week of just gentle work on a few areas, doesnt need much work at all, taper down and be alert and ready for the start of the US Open.

But he still does not want four or five days of 3 set struggles, moreso as Phil mentioned in the heat of the day. !

-- Edited by indiana on Thursday 19th of August 2010 07:23:21 PM

RJA · Hall of fame

Madeline wrote:

The 4th spot will be no help if he doesn't have enough in the tank to even get to the semis.

You are worrying way too much about this. Andy has worked bloody hard and he is in good shape. Even if he goes all the way this week there is no reason why he shouldn't be in perfect shape for the US Open. He played 11 sets last week, including quite a few quick ones, which frankly isn't a big deal.

His problems this week are not down to being tired. They are down to the fact that after playing Nalbandian, Nadal and Federer back to back he is struggling to motivate himself to play Chardy and Gulbis. Andy is a big time player and he never produces he best against the lesser lights of the game. I stopped worrying about performances like this a long time ago because they mean nothing when it comes to a big match.

indiana · Tennis legend

I'm not hugely worried just now, but Andy most certainly is suffering from the effect of all the matches he has played in the heat of the last 2 weeks and he is tired and not as sharp partly because of these.

It may not seem in theory that much but at that level it can catch up and I have seen it with others who could hardly move after a couple of weeks ( or less ) of day after day matches eg. as previously mentioned with Del Potro in Canada final last year. I'd say Nalby was effected to a lesser extent last week when he came to play Andy.

Sorry, I know Andy can be a bit hang dog when things are not going well but today he was fairly knackered and it took some effort for him to raise himself to get across the line. That wasn't just motivating himself, it was pushing himself through how he felt. I know what I see with my own eyes smile

Andy does often seem to often ( not always ) struggle against lower ranked players with motivation, as do quite a few players, but it was much more than that here.

He should still be fine for the US Open whatever as long as to my mind he and his team are sensible during next week. But I still would prefer that he does not have four or five 3 set matches here.

-- Edited by indiana on Friday 20th of August 2010 12:06:45 AM

indiana · Tennis legend

One other point that I would make re Andy's fitness :

I do accept of course that Andy has "worked bloody hard" to get himself supremely fit over the last two or three years.

One slight concern I have though is that he has not kept working so hard this year, he virtually admitted as much in comments about what he was doing in the months after the Australian Open.

When in about May time there was much concern expressed on the forum by some over Andy's form and how long term his problems might be, I expressed confidence that at that stage in the clay season I already saw him turning it round and I was much more optimistic than some about his prospects for the rest of the year.

The one real worry I did express was whether he had put in the the real hard endurance hours of work this year that would help get him through the important tournaments later in the year. I still get the slight impression he may be playing catch up.

The above is why I am a bit more concerned now re tiredness and fitness than I might otherwise have been.

-- Edited by indiana on Friday 20th of August 2010 12:51:35 AM

RJA · Hall of fame

To clarify my previous points. Andy probably is suffering a little bit of mental fatigue after 5 matches in 5 days at the end of last week but nothing that a few days off won't cure. I really don't think he is tired in the physical sense.

Madeline · Admin:Moderator + Tennis Legend

We'll have to agree to disagree, then. I thought he looked as though he had hit a wall and could hardly put one foot in front of the other without supreme effort. He looked pale and drained to me.

About meaning nothing when it comes to a big match - US Open 2008? He ran out of steam at the last hurdle there. Admittedly Fed when playing well is one hell of a hurdle, but still.

Ah well, whatever, there is nothing we can do about it!

indiana · Tennis legend

I hear on the radio this morning that Andy was apparently suffering from dehydration and sunburn.

Hopefully to some extent the dehydation can be dealt with easily enough i.e. like a lesser version of what Oli Golding suffered in Singapore when he came back later the same day to win his doubles.

It does go some way to explain how Andy was physically yesterday ( to my mind there simply is no doubt he was suffering physically ) though I still think there can expected to be a cumulative physical tiredness as well as mental tiredness which more effects sharpness.

Anyway, Andy is out first again in the midday sun which was certainly avoidable especially with Fed having yesterday off. I'm guessing he's not volunteering for this spot smile

-- Edited by indiana on Friday 20th of August 2010 02:46:53 PM

Josh · Challenger level

Oli Morgan?

Madeline · Admin:Moderator + Tennis Legend

That's the Scottish way of spelling Golding. . .

indiana · Tennis legend

Sorry about my new composite junior player

Corrected.

angry1 · Lower Club Player

indiana wrote:

I hear on the radio this morning that Andy was apparently suffering from dehydration and sunburn.

Hopefully to some extent the dehydation can be dealt with easily enough i.e. like a lesser version of what Oli Golding suffered in Singapore when he came back later the same day to win his doubles.

It does go some way to explain how Andy was physically yesterday ( to my mind there simply is no doubt he was suffering physically ) though I still think there can expected to be a cumulative physical tiredness as well as mental tiredness which more effects sharpness.

Anyway, Andy is out first again in the midday sun which was certainly avoidable especially with Fed having yesterday off. I'm guessing he's not volunteering for this spot

-- Edited by indiana on Friday 20th of August 2010 02:46:53 PM

According to Judy Murray's blog Andy hit for longer than usual about 2 hours before Yesterday's match.Maybe that caused some of his problems.