Witsken was a decent player who had beaten Jimmy Connors at the US Open in 1986, but Gilbert was expected to beat him quite easily. Instead, she struggled, hitting 10 double faults and fading as the match wore on. Later, Gilbert complained that he was sick the morning of the game, but Witsken offered another possible explanation.
“I think winning all those matches and playing so much tennis is tiring,” Witsken said, according to LA Times report. “I think he might need some rest.”
Shelton makes a good argument for and against
Ben Shelton can make a good argument for and against preseason success. Twelve months ago, the American won in Canada, reached the quarterfinals of Cincinnati and was considered among the favorites for the US Open title.
What happened? He looked good in his first two rounds, but then his body broke down in the third round against Adrian Mannarino. “It’s been a great summer with a lot to be thankful for,” he said at the time. “You’re not going to hear me whine here about how bad my last summer was, what I’ve been able to do in this short amount of time in this sport and the people I’ve been around, like I said, have been very blessed.”
This year, Shelton repeated his success in Canada with brilliant tennis, and then lost in the first round in Cincinnati. Perhaps an early loss would be beneficial. He has looked strong so far at the US Open and is once again being talked about as a potential champion. If he does, he will be the first American winner since Andy Roddick in 2003.
Winning titles takes a lot of effort. It’s tough for the top three or four, but they’re used to being there every weekend, recovering and going again. For someone like Gilbert, a great player who would go on to win 20 titles and reach No. 4 at one stage, the physical exertion of playing more matches than usual can easily take a toll on them.
Arthur Fils might agree. The Frenchman won the biggest title of his career in Cincinnati last month, and many people were tipping him to go deep in New York. He led Stephanos Tsitsipas 5-2 in the first round and it looked like it was over. “When the energy went down at the end of the second, I never felt good energy again,” he said. “Of course, it’s a very long delay, but no excuse. I mean, I just have to work harder to be able to play tournaments like this.”
Nadal’s way
So the dilemma for players outside of the top few is how far they’ve pushed it in the tournaments leading up to the slams. There’s a difference between Masters 1000s like Cincinnati, which are held a few weeks before a Slam, and 250s, which come the week before. In the days when Queen’s came right after Roland Garros, Rafael Nadal often won a few matches and lost in Friday’s quarterfinals with enough match practice but not too much effort. The work is done.
You also have to remember that for most players, aside from the big guns, the Tour is their bread and butter; there’s no reason not to give their absolute all into them just because they’re afraid they might be tired.
Cincinnati titles have won many big names over the years. But 2022 is perhaps a good example of the dilemma other players face. Borna Coric from Croatia and Caroline Garcia from France were declared winners that year. Coric was good enough to finish as high as 12th at one stage and reach the quarterfinals in 2020, while Garcia was a very talented and consistent player who finished as high as 4th. At the 2022 US Open, Coric reached the second round by defeating Jenson Brooksby, but Garcia enjoyed his best performance until the US Open.
And what about Tiafoe?
Francis Tiafoe finished runner-up to the Phils in Cincinnati and has looked good so far, even if he felt like he wasn’t at his best in the first two US Open matches before stepping up in the third round. Washington was a few weeks ago, but Taylor Fritz was the champion and he came out on Saturday with a win over Fernando Cerundolo.
So it can be done. And that’s certainly easier said than done for those who perform well just before a Grand Slam. The big guns usually skip those events, of course, and they’re mostly 250s, but still, being so close to the slam makes it tough.
And it’s even tougher for younger players. Ignacio Busse won his first ATP title in Hamburg this year and then lost in the first round at Roland Garros and then won the title in Winston-Salem a week before the US Open before reaching the second round in New York. And Zizu Bergs beat Eastbourne and lost in the third round at Wimbledon.
There is no perfect way to prepare for a Grand Slam. Some top players don’t play an official event at all, while others like to get a few matches under their belt, depending on the surface. But as long as there’s a crowded calendar with little time between events, beating the likes of Cincinnati after an already potentially tough summer could be a poisoned chalice.