Not all comebacks are created equal

ATP/WTA
“I don’t feel like I’m in my body”

Naomi Osaka opened up on her recent struggles as she’s still chasing her former level on the court.

Naomi Osaka really looked on the right track several times this year (Miami, Madrid, Rome, Roland-Garros, and ‘s-Hertogenbosch), but each time, it’s like the door then closed on her. And setback after setback came on. When I spoke to her coach, Wim Fissette, in Madrid, he told me he hoped Naomi would be rewarded soon because she was working so hard. And also because he knew how much losses were tough on her. We also talked about the work she was doing physically, including working with a former ballerina turned movement coach. The puzzle seemed to be taking shape.

But right now, it’s at a stop. As the results say but not them only. After all, Ashlyn Krueger, who beat her in the second round of the qualifications in Cincinnati, went on to beat Donna Vekic. Now, it’s Osaka opening up about how she doesn’t feel like herself on the court that shows something is still not clicking. She took to social media to put it in her own words:

“My biggest issue currently isn’t losses, though; my biggest issue is that I don’t feel like I’m in my body. It’s a strange feeling, missing balls I shouldn’t miss, hitting balls softer than I remember I used to. I try to tell myself, ‘It’s fine, you’re doing great. Just get through this one and keep pushing.’ Mentally, it’s really draining, though. Internally, I hear myself screaming, ‘What the hell is happening?!?!’ ”Don’t get me wrong, I’ve played a handful of matches this year that I felt like I was myself, and I know this moment is probably just a small phase from all the new transitions (clay, grass, clay, hard). However, the only feeling I could liken to how I feel right now is being post-partum. That scares me because I’ve been playing tennis since I was three, the racket should feel like an extension of my hand. I don’t understand why everything has to feel almost brand new again. This should be as simple as breathing to me, but it’s not. I genuinely did not give myself grace for that fact until just now. Nothing in life is promised, but I realised that I can promise myself to work as hard as I can and give it my best shot till the very end. See you in New York.”

I feel we tend to take it for granted that a player, and even more so a champion, is going to come back from pregnancy and find her level back in a few months. Just because others did it doesn’t mean it’s the blueprint. In Osaka’s case, it could be more complicated due to the fact that she stopped at a relatively young age when she hadn’t fully figured out what type of player she was and when her body was still marching to its peak. It might be tougher for her to get back to the top as fast as she’d love to, because her body didn’t have time to fully absorb how to get there and so cannot replicate it. Same for her tennis. She wasn’t the type of player who would play every week but now she had to become that player because her ranking (#90 now) cannot help her skip events. So, because she was used to winning big without playing a lot, she honestly doesn’t know how to grind it out there. It’s tough. It’s cutthroat. It’s exhausting. She was at the top of the mountain and was sent back to the ground, but it’s not like she made her way back up so many times that it has become second nature.

We all know she just lacks these few big wins now. She just lacks going all the way in one tournament and getting going. For her confidence but also for her fitness level, so that her body is reminded of what it takes to repeat the efforts under pressure. It’s there somewhere. She’s just still searching for the light in the dark, but the racquet is getting close to switch so it’s not time to doubt, it’s time to keep moving forward. Easier said than done, but I take it as a first step to read her acknowledging the situation. Denial and frustration would be her worst enemies right now. But she keeps them away. The US Open would now be the perfect place for her to get going, but it’s also a huge pressure. Especially because her motivation might start to struggle in the last stretch of the season after that. It’s not only important for her, it’s also important for the sports as a whole. As I say way too many times a year, so much of this sport’s success is about the casting. We cannot get picky on the number of A-List actors we can get. We need them all, and so we need Osaka to find that switch.

Popyrin and Pegula crowned in Canada

Well, I didn’t see that one coming! Alexei Popyrin had a crazy wow week in Montréal, beating five Top 20 players (including Andrey Rublev in the final) and so he clinched the first Masters 1000 title of his career. He also became the first Australian to win a Masters 1000 title in 21 years (Lleyton Hewitt, Indian Wells 2003). “It means so much, it means the world. All the hard work that I’ve put in over the last few years. All the sacrifices that I’ve made, not just me but my family, my girlfriend, my team, everybody around me. They’ve just like sacrificed their lives for me, and for me to win this for them is just amazing,” he said. What do I especially like? Popyrin committed to playing the Olympics on clay in Paris, reaching a historical third round. When they say, it couldn’t be done…

Jessica Pegula had a tough time this year since getting injured right before the clay season. Yes, she came back and won on grass in Berlin but lost in the second round of Wimbledon and then in the second round of the Olympics, both in singles and doubles. She surely wasn’t the most confident player when having to defend her title in Canada. So her week in Toronto was even more impressive, especially in very tricky conditions of play and in the final against Amanda Anisimova, who was coming in strong. “I really wanted this one! I’ve always just played well here. It’s so close to Buffalo; I had a lot of friends and family (in the stands). And my grandparents, my husband was able to come today. I don’t really get that at a lot of tournaments.” The WTA made a Champions Reel of her week if you want to see how she got her hands on that trophy again.

QUESTION OF THE DAY 
Needed?

You were 71,43% to say we should get worried about Jannik Sinner’s end of season.

MENS SANA IN CORPORE SANO 
Jabeur still can’t play, but keeps hope for the US Open

Ons Jabeur is in a rough spot. The Tunisian, who skipped the Olympics to protect a dodgy knee and avoid putting at risk the rest of her season, is still seeing the last part of the year being threatened…by a shoulder injury. Since her loss in the third round at Wimbledon, she played just two matches: a doubles match in Washington before withdrawing and a first round in Montréal.

Jabeur is now out of Cincinnati, still due to shoulder pain that she described on social media as “an aggravated shoulder injury.” She added, “Despite my best efforts to recover in time, playing in Toronto did not help, my current condition does not allow me to compete at the level required.” The 2022 US Open finalist is still trying to make it to NYC. All fingers and toes crossed. After all the troubles that knee gave and still gives her, it seems way over the top that this shoulder now decides to act up. Give that woman a break.

Lehecka is back, De Minaur will be soon

Talk about someone who had to take a break! Jiri Lehecka hadn’t been seen on Tour since severely injuring his back during the semi-final of Madrid’s Masters 1000. I can still see him collapsing on that court… It was the end of his clay season but also of his grass season and just at the time when he was playing outstanding tennis again. He’s now back and already in great shape, as demonstrated by his win against Daniil Medvedev in the second round in Cincinnati.

But, pushed by his whole team, including Tomas Berdych, the Czech took the best decision possible: he didn’t rush a comeback. At 22, he had no reason to take such a big risk for the rest of his career, as he explained to the ATP in Cincinnati this week to mark his return. “This kind of injury is bad in a way that you cannot do anything. You just need to lay down. You can just walk a bit. You are restricted from all the normal movements you are used to doing. Having a racquet in my hand was not an option for me. To have a simple run or to go to the gym was not an option. All these things I was not able to do, so it wasn't easy for me, also mentally, because I'm a very active person. I enjoy my time doing some activities, doing other sports and stuff. So it wasn't easy, but I managed to get through it.” He also got a tattoo.

We were getting worried for Alex De Minaur and the state of his hip, but the Australian seems to be now ready to go for the US Open. “Been working hard trying to recover from my injury,” he wrote on Instagram. “It’s been very tough missing tournaments, and [I’m] excited to say I’ll be playing [the] US Open. Thanks to all the support I’ve gotten. It’s definitely helped me through these tough times. There’s always light and the end of the tunnel,” he said on social media.

We know that material has a major impact on the type of injuries players can go through. And it’s obviously the same for the surface they’re playing on. So as we head to the US Open, you can have a read about the decisions taken regarding the speed of this year’s surface for the event.

SOME BREAK POINTS… 
Let’s keep up, people

It’s the last stretch of the season, it’s post-Olympics, and it’s all over the place. But these are news that should be round up, so let’s dig in.

• There is no tennis without drama. It’s basically a rule at this point. So, here we go for the most recent one, in Cincinnati: the ball was out, but they replayed the point. Yes, you’ve read that right. Why? Because the electronic system failed, so did the rules. Who was mad? Taylor Fritz, who then lost. Players and followers were logically left astonished by a series of decisions that led to a point being replayed despite a ball being out. The details? Over there. Will anything be done about it? Let’s hope! Especially as the ATP will have electronic line calling all over its events next year. But it’s tennis, so…
  

• The first invites have been sent! For the Met Gala? No, for the US Open. It’s in New York, too, so it was close. Who won? Naomi Osaka, Bianca Andreescu, Stan Wawrinka and Dominic Thiem. The USO said, “Bring us our former champions, please!” Good job. Who won on the court? Amanda Anisimova and Learner Tien, who came on top of the US Open Wild Card Challenge.
  

• Stefanos Tsitsipas has found a volunteer to join the mess his team after he and his father decided to part ways (but not really). Who? Greece's Davis Cup captain, Dimitris Hadjinikolaou, already belonging to his close circle.
  

• There’s also been a switch of flag: Elina Avanesyan is now representing Armenia and no longer Russia. By playing against and defeating Bianca Andreescu in the first round in Cincinnati (as a lucky loser), she became the first player representing Armenia to compete in a main draw of the WTA Tour. She’s also now the first to be a Top 100 player. She called Armenia her “ancestral homeland,” as she “was born in Pyatigorsk, Russia to Armenian parents from Nagorno-Karabakh who moved from the disputed region in 1992, during the First Nagorno-Karabakh War.”
  

• Star Wars at the US Open. Kinda. Next Wednesday, for the US Open Fan Week, Andre Agassi and Carlos Alcaraz will team to face John McEnroe and Novak Djokovic. "I can tell you both Carlos and Novak immediately said ‘yes’ when I went to them and said Would you like to play in this event. They are excited to have this opportunity to share Arthur Ashe Stadium with Agassi and Johnny Mac,” said US Open tournament director Stacey Allaster. The Fan Week is a free event, but people wanting to attend this match will need to buy tickets.
  

• Belgrade gave a hero welcome to Novak Djokovic as Serbia celebrated the return of their Olympians. “I have had the honour and pleasure of being on this special [City Hall] balcony several times in my career, but each time you surprise and inspire me more and more. This is the most beautiful feeling that an athlete from Serbia can experience,” he told the crowd.

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READ: It seems to be the trend this year: everybody and their cousin have started running. If it’s your case or if you feel you’re going to fall for the trend, too, give a read to The Run* newsletter for all the tricks and advice. The Scouting Report*, The Athlete Exec*, and Bottom of the Ninth could turn into your mandatory sports reading of the week for everything that is backstage of professional sports decision-making and professional sports business trends. 

WATCH: Do you want to cook like you’re at the US Open? I’d get it, as that food court is pretty good! Well, Good Morning America has your back with this video of the chef Josh Capon sharing he’s US Open recipes.

Take A Selfish: Wimbledon nearly got me there! Will they get you? If you already miss the tournament (I do, as usual), well, you can try to resist, or not, their accessories collection. Damn, it works well with the summer vibe… They might still get me again…

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