Gael Monfils and Feliciano Lopez Top Winners and Losers in Late July
July has a bit of everything for tennis fans. There's Wimbledon, Davis Cup and tournaments on all three primary surfaces ranging from Croatia to Washington, D.C.
Plenty of veteran stars such as Gael Monfils look to regain their timing, while youngsters such as Dominic Thiem and Alexander Zverev Jr. search for career-rising titles. Who succeeded, and who flopped?
All of the past week's action sets up for the upcoming Rogers Cup, which has already suffered from big exits from superstars. Who are they, and why will they not attend?
Review all of the past week's important action in the Winners and Losers of tennis, where we examine the ups and downs of the biggest stars.
Winner: Feliciano Lopez
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Feliciano Lopez is a prime example of what makes the ATP tour so tough for younger players. Lopez, age 34, won his fifth career title by winning clay-court Gstaad to go with his two grass-court titles in Eastbourne (2013-14) and titles on hard courts in Johannesburg (2010) and Vienna (2004).
The big lefty Spaniard has grown up fighting in an era that included brilliant compatriots and other veteran players who continue to toughen as they age. These professionals are striving for every opportunity as if it’s their last, training, learning and putting together their experience and mental toughness.
While Zverev and Borna Coric have logged 92 and 106 ATP matches, respectively, Lopez has played in 895 matches in well over a decade. Tennis margins are slim, and that difference is enormous.
Congratulations to Lopez. He’s persevered, with his ranking hovering inside the Top 20 again. He deserves that odd Gstaad trophy, which looks like somebody bore a hole through a rock.
Loser: Jack Sock
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Jack Sock probably doesn’t feel better about losing to Ivo Karlovic. Sock, who lost the fifth and deciding Davis Cup rubber to Borna Coric last week, could have conceivably played the giant Karlovic, had Karlovic represented his country.
If we assume that Sock’s result in losing to Karlovic in two tiebreakers in the quarterfinals at Washington, D.C. would have been the result had they played the Davis Cup clincher, then maybe Americans can accept that Croatia just had a little more firepower. The result was the same: a couple of close losses.
Would this make Sock feel better or worse? Either way, the American has played a lot of tennis in recent weeks and will look to charge forward with bigger matches ahead as the face of American tennis.
Winner: Alexander Zverev
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Eighteen-year-old American Taylor Fritz took on 19-year-old German Alexander Zverev Jr., and it’s clear that Zverev is further along in his potential to be a star on the ATP tour. Zverev whipped Fritiz 6-4, 6-2 and said, per the ATP World Tour: “Taylor has great potential for the future. That’s obvious. We’re all very young and there’s room for improvement for both of us.”
Zverev, ranked No. 25 in the world when the rankings came out Monday, made it to the semifinals at level-500 Washington, D.C., but he’s still searching for his first ATP title after losing to Gael Monfils.
Nevertheless, he is ahead of Fritz (No. 63) and Borna Coric (No. 53) for now, using his superior serve, excellent footwork and powerful mechanics to maturing success. His comment about improving implies that he is willing to work harder and keep battling to move up the rankings.
It won’t be long before Zverev breaks through the Top 20 and charts a course as one of the top contenders.
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Loser: Dominic Thiem
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Ouch. Dominic Thiem might have hit the wall after playing 61 times through Wimbledon. The young Austrian lost early at Wimbledon, pulled out of Hamburg and was seeded No. 1 at Kitzbuhel, where he immediately lost to fellow Austrian Jurgen Melzer.
Is Thiem covering up nagging injuries? Is he too exhausted?
He is No. 6 in the Race to London thus far in 2016, but it’s a long stretch ahead with the U.S. Open series, Far East tour and other tournaments. He will need to be healthy to be one of the top eight players by early November.
Thiem will not play the Olympics, but unlike many other stars who have been dropping out because of concerns of the Zika virus, Thiem explained nearly a year ago that he did not want to prioritize the Olympics over chasing ATP points, according to TennisNet, via Tennis.com:
"I'm not a big fan of the Olympic Games. The ATP calendar is a bit complex due to the Olympic event. Small tournaments like Gstaad, Umag and Kitzbuhel will be played in the same week. It's not the main priority for me, but maybe my mentality will change when I'm older.
I prefer playing ATP tournaments and Davis Cup competition rather than Olympic Games. The Olympics are very important only if you gain a medal and that's a very difficult achievement.
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Give Thiem credit for his honesty. We’ll see if he can find a second wind to charge forward the rest of the year.
Winner: Fabio Fognini
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Is Fabio Fognini back, or is this what we can expect to see for the next couple of years: scattered sunshine amidst typically stormy weather? The mercurial 29-year-old Italian won the Umag title on clay, his favorite surface; it was a reminder of July 2013, when he nearly won three consecutive tournaments.
The Italian is a talented hitter who is most famed for whipping Andy Murray in the deciding Davis Cup rubber in April 2014 and defeating Rafael Nadal thrice in 2015, including victory from a two-set deficit at the U.S. Open. He previously achieved a career-high ranking of No. 13.
But tennis has been difficult for him lately. He’s had injuries, and he is starting a new life with his marriage to former WTA star and 2015 U.S. Open champion Flavia Pennetta. He’s been trying to get on track, as he told ATP World Tour:
"Now I am happy and I'm working well again. Like with everything in life, finding this consistency requires a process and I think it will take a little while. But I feel good on and off the court, so I hope I can finish the season well.
I have to accept it, know that this is a difficult year. I have to keep fighting and battling and we'll see where it gets me by the end of the year.
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The sun is out, the clouds have parted, and other top players should be wary. Fognini is much better than his No. 41 ranking, and he could be a dangerous player in the early rounds at the U.S. Open.
Losers: Eugenie Bouchard and Sloane Stephens
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Tennis fans who went to Washington, D.C.'s Citi Open to watch stars Eugenie Bouchard and Sloane Stephens were quickly disappointed. Seeded No. 5 and No. 2, respectively, they each crashed in their first match.
That’s not unusual, but the disappointing thing is that both players are not living up to their talent. Bouchard has struggled since her rise in 2014 that saw her reach the semifinals at the Australian and French Opens and earn her way to the final at Wimbledon. She’s dropped to No. 42 in the rankings without the focus and confidence that she had previously showed.
Stephens’ story is less dramatic, but since her rise in 2013 as an Australian Open semifinalist, she’s usually been outside the Top 20. She has only occasionally flashed great play and reminded tennis fans of her potential.
Bouchard is 22 years old, and Stephens is 23. They have plenty of time to capture the world by its tail, but many fine players also come to accept losing when they should be so much better. They could both use a huge run during the U.S. Open.
Winner: Gael Monfils
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This slide nearly belonged to Ivo Karlovic, who won Newport’s grass-court tournament last week and came within one service hold and later a match point of winning Washington, D.C.’s level-500 title.
Instead, the electric Gael Monfils earned this one with the kind of play he showed at Monte Carlo when he battled Rafael Nadal to a third set in that final. Previously, Monfils had been injured, so his return has been more impressive, as he won against an impressive, talented lineup that included Borna Coric, Sam Querrey and Alexander Zverev.
He saved his best for turning the tables on the big-serving Karlovic, who had held his serve 53 consecutive times before dropping the critical game to Monfils. He then broke Karlovic again early in the third set and finally hoisted the championship trophy.
Like Fabio Fognini, Monfils is a talent who can trouble the best players. At the 2014 U.S. Open he blew a two-set lead on Roger Federer in the quarterfinals. He’s had some rest and recovery with his injury time off, so this championship could be a jolt of confidence moving forward.
Loser: Superstars Missing from Upcoming Rogers Cup Tournament
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Blame the Olympics. Blame injuries and fatigue. Blame whatever you want, but the Rogers Cup in Canada will not have five of the biggest six stars in tennis, even though it’s a Masters 1000 tournament.
Rafael Nadal, who withdrew from the third round of the French Open because of a wrist injury, says he is practicing but not ready for Canada. He plans to play in the Olympics next month.
Andy Murray withdrew, citing fatigue from Wimbledon after skipping his Great Britain’s Davis Cup competition.
Roger Federer, like Murray, wants more recovery time after Wimbledon.
Maria Sharapova has been suspended for failing a drug test during January’s Australian Open.
Serena Williams pulled out with shoulder inflammation.
It does leave a nice path to the Rogers Cup title for world No. 1 Novak Djokovic or perhaps the Canadian Milos Raonic.
In recent years, there have been increasing concerns about the superstars getting overstretched by playing too many gruelling events. The ATP tries to mandate that all top players participate in Masters 1000 events (except Monte Carlo) and the World Tour Final. Superstars have been able to withdraw frequently enough when they make a case for weariness or fatigue.
The ATP would probably balk at cutting a few of its showcase tournaments. The money and exposure for the tour and players are too important for everyone concerned.
Instead, it’s up to the players to watch their health and pace themselves accordingly. They understand that extra rest and recovery could extend their tennis years and chances for more victories in their careers.
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