“I could keep positive self-talk and then keep the belief until the end.”
How did Hubert Hurkacz win the tournament, in the ATP 1000 in Shanghai? He looked good, but at times, he is decent, but not fantastic again. But in the final, he beat Andrey Rublev 7-6 in the third set, grabbing it. He was so intense, when he had to.
“Andrey was playing some really good tennis, and I knew, you know, I got to produce the shots, so I was just trying to stay out there and compete as hard as I could and to keep positive self-talk and then keep the belief until the end. At the end of the day, it’s a final, and you want to just give it all you got out there,” Hurkacz said.
The Pole has now won two ATP 1000s, when the 26-year-old won Miami in 2021. He would really reach into the top 8, as he has yet to do it, but in the fall, he does have a decent change to snag it. Right after he won, the huge hitter went to Tokyo, and he lost in the first round, but he must have been tired, after so many shots in Shanghai. He still can qualify into the top 8 in the ATP Finals in Torino, but to do that, he is going to have go super deep in Paris in November. That is a massive challenge.
Rublev is close to qualify, and he really wants to win Paris, indoors, and to go into the ATP Finals again. He does have a decent shots, and he is very close with his terrific players, but he has to do something different with his strokes. Not everything, but some totally different.
Grigor Dimitrov had a very good tournament reaching the semis, beating Carlos Alcaraz in three sets. The Spaniard pulled out of the Swiss Indoors in Basel due to injury, so the chance of end of the year is slim, although the No. 1 Novak Djokovic hasn’t decided to play Paris in singles, but he will, as last year, he reached the final, so he gained 600 points. If he does not go, in the singles, he actually will drop, and then what? He will play singles, too, with out a doubt.
Dimitrov has had no chance to get into the ATP 8, but he has had a decent season, so now in 2024, he can push himself, more consistently. … With the men, Ben Shelton and Sebastian Korda, are playing much better, and next year, the two young men will go further up in the charge…
Taylor Fritz just lost in Tokyo, and he is staining again. In Paris, if he reaches into the quarters, the No. 9 could go in the top 8, and qualified, but that is a big if. … What happened with Frances Tiafoe, who looked so good,but now, he is losing a lot. Is he is confused? … Maybe, just maybe, the No. 12 Tommy Paul can go berserk, win Tokyo and Paris and qualify for the ATP Finals. That would be a stunner.