Well, Oliver was the better player in most tennis departments - but it's not the dog in the fight but the fight in the dog - and on that count Yang thoroughly deserved it . . Hoferlin has a point :(
Disturbingly similar to his last match two weeks ago in Manchester. There he threw away a 5-1 lead in the deciding set against Josh Milton, losing it 5-7.
Disturbingly similar to his last match two weeks ago in Manchester. There he threw away a 5-1 lead in the deciding set against Josh Milton, losing it 5-7.
Somehow I suspect that was what he was thinking about. One particular type of loss (or win) can often set up a sort of chain reaction.
The things with Mr Golding is that often when I catch a glimpse of his matches, I think "Why isn't he top 200 at the very least?" He can play so, so well. I don't know what it would take to help him pull things together so that he could play like that consistently, but I do hope that someone finds it and helps him to cross the barriers. Wonder whether part of it is a sense of believing that one should win: he's often looked fairly surprised when in winning situations. But it really shouldn't be a surprise - he has the gifts! (Even M Hoferlin's comments were a kind of backhanded compliment, as they implied that Mr Golding had the raw talent to succeed, if he could stop getting upset if he missed.)
oliver golding ‏@oli_golding 1m
Wooooow. Give me a break. Where is jeremy beadle and that hidden camera? He must be here somewhere! 5 match points this time...
I don't think Oliver has anything to reproach himself for over the 5 match points - Yang hit one hell-for-leather blinder and the rest, as far as I can remember, were good serves followed up by relatively easy shots to put away. I certainly don't remember Oli dumping an easy ball or going for an idiot shot.
But after that . . . that's where the problems really began . . .
I have seen the odd match of Oli's since he was a relatively young junior. Although always a skilful player he so often made a spectacle of himself by being over emotional, usually triggered by something he perceived as unfair or because he was down in a match he expected to win so it's a really long term behaviour he needs to change. IMO he has improved in this department as he has grown up but maybe he is putting himself under a lot of pressure just at the mo to 'prove' to everyone that he can succeed without the LTA at his side.
I think he needs to relax a bit and realise that with his skills, over the course of a year he will win more points, more games, more sets and more matches than he loses but accept that he's not going to win every point, game, set and match.
Clearly ( not too surprisingly ) these last couple of matches have got to Oli.
But somehow needs not to dwell on say the fates conspiring against him, and - why me ? But learn what lessons he can to help him at the sharp end of future matches.
Refocusing, for instance, may be an issue to look at here, especially with his old coach's apparent comments on him getting far too down about points that have been and gone.
At the moment ( while of course it is said of many ) this is one guy that really could and should be ranked a lot higher.
It's not missing the MPs that was the real issue here, especially how they were played out. It was the reaction in the following games, when he was initially still serving for the match.
Moving on and refocusing has clearly been a general issue for a long time, if maybe slowly improving.
I do really hope he can improve on this more quickly though, somehow....
I have seen the odd match of Oli's since he was a relatively young junior. Although always a skilful player he so often made a spectacle of himself by being over emotional, usually triggered by something he perceived as unfair or because he was down in a match he expected to win so it's a really long term behaviour he needs to change. IMO he has improved in this department as he has grown up but maybe he is putting himself under a lot of pressure just at the mo to 'prove' to everyone that he can succeed without the LTA at his side.
I think he needs to relax a bit and realise that with his skills, over the course of a year he will win more points, more games, more sets and more matches than he loses but accept that he's not going to win every point, game, set and match.
Yes I certainly think that Oli can be overly emotional at times and it can be a major detriment to his game. Also while I agree that he has grown up I still think he has some way to go. Things can of course turn round pretty quickly but you need to do the right things to make it happen and particular you need to be in the right place mentally.
Just look at one of his peers from the Junior years. 12 months ago today Dominic Thiem (born just a few weeks before Oli) was WR 268. Today he is WR 55 and after a couple of wins in Hamburg looks likely to be top 50 next week. For me the big difference between Golding and Thiem is the latter is mentally ready to be a professional tennis player. For the most part he comes across as a sensible and mature lad both on and off court. He is a tough competitor but seems able to put defeats into context and learn from poor performances. Win or lose he always posts about his matches on facebook and you never get the sarcastic quips or moans about officials that all too common from British players. He is always respectful to his opponents and talks about the positives and negatives in his performance. He is often critical of himself but normally from a perspective of what he needs to improve in order to get better.
I agree that 5-2 game was pivotal, in that he would have been better off losing it comfortably and then serving it out. He was completely on top during the set hardly losing a point on serve and always putting loads of pressure on his opponents, until that moment.
There is no doubt Oli has what it takes to be a top 50 player, but he needs to find the right coach who believes in him and who he trusts. He's only going to get stronger mentally, so as long as defeats like this one don't put him back and actualy make him stronger, the future is still very very bright.