Top players on the comeback trail: it's a tough journey

THE COMEBACK TRAIL
“It’s really hard to focus on the process when I keep losing in the second or third rounds”, Osaka

The rule is that coming back is hard. It's been forgotten lately because some Tennis Avengers made it seem easy. Rafael Nadal is currently trying to come back to the top for the… Let’s be real, we’ve stopped counting at this point. So I went and talked to three top players, at different stages of their careers and who were out of the game for different reasons. Naomi Osaka (coming back from giving birth), Denis Shapovalov (coming back from a serious knee injury), and Barbora Krejcikova (had a severe elbow injury in 2022, hurt her back this year after Melbourne then got an illness in Miami).

Naomi Osaka, with four Grand Slam titles to her name and a former World No.1, is trying to summon all the patience she can find, even on clay. “Every tournament I play, I want to win. I know that results so far haven’t shown that but I really think that something’s going to click eventually and when it does, I think I’ll be really good. But for right now, I’m just going to be as humble as I can”, she said after beating Greet Minnen in Madrid. Osaka, who came back in January, is indeed trying everything she can, even hiring a movement coach, Simone Elliott. “She was a ballerina. I’m quite stiff so… She helps to give me more fluidity. I feel like my returns are a lot better, I really feel there are a lot of things in my game that I’m doing much better. Yet, I need to be swinging through my balls a lot more.”

Beaten in the second round, she didn’t hide her disappointment but vowed to keep working her way back. “I’m watching a lot more matches on clay, I’m trying to do my homework as best as I can, so I’m hoping that by the time the French Open comes along I’ll be a lot better. Of course, I definitely have goals and it would be a waste to say that I’m just trying to win round by round but that’s obviously something that I’m doing right now.” What’s helping her through this? “The mentality of trying my best no matter what.”

Yet, it’s hard for Osaka who has been so used to being on top of the game and who has never been a player wanting to play every week of the season. The Japanese player knows she needs to keep her eyes on the path and not on the short-term results, but for a champion, it’s a very rough thing to do. “My results aren’t that great so it’s really hard to focus on the process when I keep losing in the second or third rounds. There’s also so much I have to learn on clay. I’m a very impatient person so I hope that this catching up comes along quickly.”

Denis Shapovalov, a semi-finalist at Wimbledon in 2021 and a former Top 10, gained a new perspective on his sport when he could no longer be a part of it. The Canadian tried to play with a knee injury as long as he could in 2023 but after losing in the fourth round of Wimbledon, the pain was just too much and he ended his season. Shapovalov came back in January and he’s just starting now to feel like himself again on the court, reaching the third round in Madrid.

“I’ve been getting progressively better physically and tennis-wise as well. I’m very happy with where I am. Obviously, it’s important to try to start having some results and going deeper in some tournaments, but so far I’m extremely happy with how the body has held up.” He started to feel better by the time Indian Wells and Miami were over, making him laugh that he was now ready to go but it was clay time. “I have to go on this surface that I’m not a huge fan of! It’s not my surface for sure but I’ve got good results on it (semi-finals in Madrid in 2018). It’s a love-hate relationship. I still try to play my game and find ways to win, but for sure it’s not my ideal surface. I can play well on it, especially being a lefty.”

He missed tennis so much that he will not complain, even less now that he reached the third round in Madrid. “I’m very hungry to play. I need time to prep, I need to be fresh but I still definitely want to try to play as many matches as possible. Being out last year, watching from the sidelines, it makes you want to play anything and everything you can.”

He might also not have a choice because his rivals didn’t wait for him. “The level in general is super tough, you need to be 100% otherwise it’s very tricky. You need to be ready against everyone, and of course, coming back not having so much confidence and so much match play, it’s sometimes not easy to get on a run and get those matches in. Hopefully, I can get back to that level and compete with these guys (Alcaraz, Sinner) but that’s not where I am right now obviously. It’s a long road for me to get back there but it’s definitely one I am working and hopefully, I can get there.”

One thing “Shapo” doesn’t do through this process? Looking at the number near his name (132). “I haven’t looked at my ranking once this year. It’s not representative of where my level is. It’s not a fair representation but also it’s not gonna help to look at it. Comparing yourself to your old self is never a good thing to do. It’s important not to. Things change all the time, you feel different every day. I just try to put in the work.

Whatever people might think about how slow his come-back is or not, Shapovalov doesn’t care. He knows how rough the road is. “Coming back is never easy: to kind of find your game, find the competitiveness, feeling confident under pressure as well. I took a six-month break when the other guys were playing competitive matches week in and week out so you fall out of that feeling a little bit. I’m happy I’m able to string some good wins in a big tournament like this, playing much better tennis, and beating some better opponents. I hope I can continue this, but for sure it’s been some good steps forward.”

Shapovalov would love nothing more than to follow the Nadal example and come back as strong as ever again and again. But he’s quick to say that “Rafa” plays in an entire other galaxy. “It’s insane how he’s been able to come back every time and be so dominant for all these years. The pain to play through… Mentally, how strong you have to be… I don’t think I could ever do that. You can tell he’s feeling the ball great, and playing great, but you can also tell from the movement… I don’t think I’ve ever seen Rafa hit so many backhands on clay. I know how well he usually covers the court with his forehand. His movement is a little bit jeopardized, but he’s such a champion for coming back and still playing so good and taking out people like it’s nothing. That’s why he’s one of the three GOATs. I don’t think anyone could replicate that.”

Barbora Krejcikova, the 2021 Roland-Garros champion in singles and doubles, is going through a rough patch and struggles to see where the end of that tunnel could be. “I’m going through a difficult stage. I started the season well (quarterfinals in Melbourne), and then my back got injured so I had to stop playing, and when I was pretty much ready to go, I got ill in Miami (upper respiratory infection). I’m trying to build up again and get back to my level.”

It’s the second time in three years that she has had to build her tennis nearly back from scratch, and you can feel it’s a bit heavy on her shoulders. “It’s always difficult not to be able to do what you love. I already got through this a couple of times but I find it more difficult every single time because the level on Tour is improving very fast, and coming back takes longer and longer. So far I was always able to come back so I have the same mindset this time again.”

Beaten in her first match in Madrid, Krejcikova would love nothing more than to be able to avoid thinking about the results right now in order to stay focused on the big picture. But it’s not that easy. “It’s tough to forget about the results. Obviously, it’s difficult. Right now, it’s important for me to play matches, because even the physical part is going to come with the matches. You have days when you feel you have to go through the process and that’s it, and other days when you feel like - sorry for the word - like shit.”

When it gets tough, she thinks about the one place she wants to peak at now: “I’ll do everything to get to Roland-Garros and to be in the best position to get the results that I want.” She also keeps in mind the phenom that every player tends to go back to: “Rafa did it many times and is a big inspiration.” There’s a way back in for these three top players, but the question is how long will it take and how much can their minds take in the process.

BUSINESS / MEDIA 
“You have a lot of responsibilities”, says Sinner about his brands’ deals

Jannik Sinner has been making waves on and off the court for the past couple of years. And it could just be the start. The Italian, 22, doesn’t have the results of the Big 4 yet, but he for sure already attracts a lot of attention from some of the biggest brands in the world. Gucci, Rolex, and Alfa Romeo are on the list. Sinner walking on the court with that Gucci bag was quite the impression last year in Wimbledon. So I asked him in Madrid if being the face of luxury brands was ever on the to-do list of his career. He smiled.

“No, I never thought about this when I was younger. I was just trying to become a professional tennis player. I never thought that I would become like this, how I am right now and No. 2 in the world, which, coming from where I come from, from a normal family, from a very small town, is nice. I was never thinking about big brands. And I still don't. I love to be part of these families and know new people because I feel like new people can give you a different point of view which makes you grow as a person. I have a great relationship with all my brands and that comes first. I'm just happy to work with great brands, but you have a lot of responsibilities because you represent them when you play, you represent them with your emotions and how you treat people. I have a lot of respect for them and I will do the best I can.”

Daria Kasatkina, WTA’s first YouTuber

Daria Kasatkina launched her YouTube channel a year ago. Now Caroline Garcia launched a podcast this year, and French player Jules Marie has built a strong following on YouTube too. It’s also easy to see how tennis players have, for a few years now, committed to Instagram and all the reels. Are tennis players the new content creators? When I told Kasatkina, in Madrid, about Garcia and others getting into the content creators’ economy, she said “It’s nice to be an inspiration!” with a laugh. “No, I’m kidding! If people like to do it, it’s nice. Not everyone likes to film and play in front of the camera. It also helps to make our sport more famous, and more watchable, to reach more people around the world. This is well developed in football or hockey, where the coverage is huge but in tennis, it’s lacking.” 

Is her content better than what Netflix tried with tennis? “The people will judge but I hope so!”, she laughed. What does she like with this other side of her job now? Why does she feel it’s an important thing to do? “It’s nice to show how tennis players actually live. Top players have a luxury lifestyle but it’s not just that. Most people don’t see the struggles. It’s interesting and very important to show how it actually is so when people see us on court they understand a little bit more what we are going through. When you only see someone on the court, you just see the athlete who runs and hits the ball but it’s also nice to show there is a personality inside. We’re not just tennis players.”

A sentiment echoed by Caroline Garcia when asked about what doing the podcast brings to her at this stage of her career. “It’s bringing me a lot of things! After so many years on Tour, it’s nice to have some projects outside of it that also allow you to have another view of things when you’re going to stop playing. We got lucky enough to talk with very smart people who were able to take a step back when looking at their journey. It’s really inspiring. I’m also getting out of my comfort zone, doing something I didn’t know, and I’m sharing this adventure with my partner. It’s really nice. On Tour, it feels like it’s always the same things and the same people who get coverage whereas it’s way deeper than this: what we have to go through, what’s really our day-to-day life.”

Kasatkina, who is gay, has been vocal about her concerns regarding Saudi Arabia’s investment in tennis. Now that the WTA Finals have been sent to this country, she was asked how she felt about it and if she’d feel comfortable going there if she qualified. “If I qualify, it means I’m Top 8 in the world and it’s great news for me. The Saudis are now very into the sport and want to develop it, so as long as they give the opportunity to the people there, and the kids and the women to see tennis so close and to participate, I think it’s great.” As a gay player, will she feel comfortable going? “I’ve been given guarantees that I’m gonna be fine.”

LIVE FROM MADRID 
Nadal, immortal king of clay

• Rafael Nadal isn’t walking on water in Madrid but it feels like it when he walks on the clay of that Manolo Santana Stadium. It suddenly feels like the tournament is holding its breath while The Sight of the clay season happens. And one should hear the ovation Nadal gets or the level of applause commitment through the matches. It seems everyone and anyone is fighting to get in there to see the King of Clay one last time. I mean Zinedine Zidane was there for Rafa’s win over Alex De Minaur! And Nadal has been delivering so far, maybe already way above what he - and many - were expecting this week. He keeps saying he’s still walking on eggs and that there’s no guarantee but from what I’ve seen at La Caja Magica, he’s walking on air, water, or fire so whatever happens, the legacy is set in the walls and the memories.
  

• Iga Swiatek is such a natural on clay that one is tempted to think she doesn’t even go through an adjusting period when he switches surfaces. One would be wrong, as she explained: “For sure it's easier this way, going from hard to clay, but still, there are things to adjust, because honestly if you've been playing one way for a couple of months, you need to switch your mindset sometimes during the rallies or make different decisions. So you need time, for sure. Everybody needs it. But also, I think the most important thing is not to treat clay the same way everywhere, because in Stuttgart it's different, here it's much, much different than Rome and Paris. Rome is the slowest. You go from the fastest in Madrid to the slowest in Rome and then to kind of average in Paris. So there are things to adjust and to focus on for sure.”

• The Tour was in Madrid when Alizé Cornet announced on French television that she would be retiring from the game after Roland-Garros this year. She got emotional when shown a message from Rafael Nadal, explaining that he’s been a huge inspiration for her even if she hasn’t dared talk to him more than once through the years.

• Leylah Fernandez asked her father to come back. The Canadian lost a very tight battle against Ons Jabeur and she explained why her dad was back in her box. “It’s again the same story of me leading against one of the best players in the world and not being able to close it out. So I’m very happy to have my father back on the road again with me so we can solve these issues immediately instead of waiting because he’s back home watching my matches on television. Now that he’s here he can see what I’m doing while I train, what happens during the matches, what my emotions are. At the start of the year, I asked him if he could travel again but he had business to do back home. But now it’s a big part of the season with the clay and the Olympic Games so I asked him again and he said yes because he wants to help me accomplish my dreams.”

SCIENCE 
So, about the Olympic AI Games…

Artificial intelligence in sports is about to get a boost as Olympic organizers intend to raise its use as soon as Paris 2024. The International Olympic Committee (IOC) said AI could be used to identify promising athletes, improve judging methods, and also improve the tailoring of training. “We are determined to exploit the vast potential of AI in a responsible way", said IOC President Tomas Bach. AI will also be used to protect athletes from online harassment and to improve the broadcast. "AI can help to identify athletes and talent in every corner of the world”, Bach added. “AI can provide more athletes with access to personalised training methods, superior sports equipment, and more individualised programmes to stay fit and healthy,"

Lindsey Vonn, who has been seen in Madrid this week chatting with Iga Swiatek, was among the delegates figuring at this AI presentation. She said she’d have loved to have these tools when she was competing: "I'm very jealous that I didn't have any of this technology when I was racing because I just really feel that it's going to enhance the athlete's experience all around. Athletes can utilise AI in training to enhance their knowledge from training like, for example, skiing on the mountain but then also off the mountain in the gym recovery times." 

Quoted by the Guardian, double Olympic triathlon champion Alistair Brownlee didn’t hide how interested he was in the AI use in sports, but still felt it should also warrant caution: “Today has been about strategy, which by its very nature is very blue sky and positive. But there are dangers without doubt too. What are the safeguards? And what about the ethical things that people need to work out?"

EDITOR’S PICKS 

• The “YogaLympics”? For some, maybe! During Paris 2024, Le Louvre Museum will set up yoga, dance, and sports sessions in its galleries. Classes are available from now until the end of the Olympic and Paralympic competitions.

• Listen to: David Allemann, co-founder of On, in a discussion with the WSJ, about designing the sneaker of the future (computer simulation and bio-based materials, etc.).