Beyond The Score

Draper unfortunately injured again

It’s just really disappointing for Jack Draper once again. In a season riddled by injuries, his bad luck has struck once more as he had to withdraw from his opening round match against Etcheverry this time due to a shoulder injury. Overall his level wasn’t too high and it was clear that as a consequence he struggled on serve. Overall, he won just 31% of his points on the second service. It was evident that something wasn’t right as he called for medical assistance before throwing the towel in for his second consecutive grand slam this season.

It seems almost like a sad theme in British tennis currently with Andy Murray playing with a metal hip and Emma Radacannu having to cut her season short to undergo major surgery and the focus switching to 2024. You hope Draper gets his fitness under control soon as his game bursts with potential. For someone so young he is pretty much the opposite of raw. As a lefty server with impressive groundstrokes and fantastic movement, his talent alone can take him to the highest levels of tennis.

Yet, these development years are very significant. If he wants to fight for future Grand Slams the guys he will be competing with are the likes of Alcaraz, Rune and Mussetti. All three are much further ahead in their development and even someone like Ben Shelton or Artur Fils has been more successful. Not to mention the valuable experiences they will gain. All five of them are younger.

His focus will be on Wimbledon but he shouldn’t play if he’s not 100%. Minor setbacks are much better than forced retirements.

Felix’s forehand flopped in Paris

Last year’s Roland Garros was controversial for Auger-Aliassime due to his coaching situation, this year has been a failure. After pulling out of Lyon due to a shoulder injury there was concern about whether an entirely unproductive clay tournament would leave him playing catch-up in Paris. To say today was flat would be an understatement.

The Canadian hit eight double faults and his average serve speed was a low 109 miles per hour. He hit more unforced errors and fewer winners than his Italian counterpart and ultimately a victory never looked likely, never mind a set. While his backhand was relatively reliable his forehand lacked resistance.

Of Fognini’s 34 winners, 32 were on the side of Auger-Alliassime’s forehand. The Italian won 66% of the points when serving onto the backhand but 80% onto the forehand. To round it off 90% of his points won at the net were shots into the forehand. For the world number 11, this is a major issue. He has always been a solid player who lacks a real weapon but can grind anyone down. It’s not rocket science then that when he loses that reliability his game falls to pot.

It was interesting to hear Mats Wilander speak about the year at Roland Garros where Borg wasn’t present and the different vibe in the dressing room. He told Eurosport that many players felt that this was a golden opportunity that couldn’t be missed and was overwhelmed under this pressure. Perhaps with Rada Nadal, the same has happened to Auger-Alliassime.

Thiem’s spirited comeback isn’t enough

The Austrian was only present due to Nadal being pulled out injured. He wasn’t offered a wildcard and on the day of the match, he was scheduled second on court six. In the end, he couldn’t battle into the second round and was knocked out by Cachin. Tell someone that scenario three years ago and they wouldn’t believe it.

His serve has never been the most deadly on the tour, making the fact he only got 59% of his first serves in today, all the more of an issue. to exploit. He only won 58% of those points, a glaring issue.

His groundstrokes still don’t seem as deadly and his mental game is a few notches below. Tennis is a game of small margins and that’s all it needs for a considerable drop-off. He had previously mentioned how difficult it had been to fully commit to shots after his wrist injury through pure worry. Thiem’s power was out of this world and part of what made him so brilliant. Take this away and you have half of the player.

The question remains whether he’ll return to his peak. Fail to do so and it really would be a tragedy. He could add so much to the scene currently. With a first-round loss on his favoured surface, it doesn’t look promising.