KARL CORBETT in SAVANNAH
Tennys Sandgren serving big. Photo: Karl Corbett
Here in Savannah, Georgia for the St. Joseph's / Candler Challenger event, Tennis Acumen was granted an exclusive interview with Tennys Sandgren, 2017 champion. We will share that conversation as we follow Sandgren’s quest for his second title in Savannah.
TA: How has your life changed, both personally and professionally, since you made the quarterfinals at the Australian Open?
TS: Good question. Some things have changed, and some things have not changed. I was able to play, for the most part, at the ATP Tour level last year because of that, which was really good. It was challenging, because I was injured for most of the year. That was tough. People don't really understand that most of the guys are injured all the time. You know, playing on chronic injuries, playing through the pain, essentially. I think Rafa said that, actually, a couple of weeks ago.
Yeah, I feel like most guys are playing through some sort of pain, some sort of injury and that's no fun. It was cool to play a bunch of tournaments I have always wanted to play. But then, it's still tennis and it still has all the challenges. Moving up from the Challenger level, the competition’s a little bit stiffer. You are not going to play yourself into the draw as often. It's hard from the get-go. It's a challenge. It’s difficult, but it was good. It was good and right now, my body is feeling better. I had a tough couple of months’ stretch here recently. I am starting to play better again and certainly get some matches under my belt.
I guess, financially, things have changed since the Australian Open, too. I don’t have to worry, paycheck-to-paycheck week-to-week. That’s how the Futures and Challengers work. You are kind of ‘on the bubble’, constantly trying to break through…. Constantly. But, then, to have that portion of my tennis behind me is nice. It’s nice. But then, you have to find other things to motivate you, new things, new challenges to set your sights on, not just surviving. When you actually have resources and actually have opportunities to push forward, then you have to ask: What is my location now to keep moving? I'm just surviving for 3, 4, 5 years and this changes the complexity of what you're doing. It was challenging to reorient my goals in a sustaining way, in a way that that wouldn't just be: Oh, this is a nice week. Instead, it’s: What am I doing? What am I trying to do out here, playing and trying to compete? Where do I find my meaning?
TA: So you have thought about yourself a little differently with the breakthrough.
TS: Well, you are just in a different place. You have to think of yourself differently. Again, some things are still the same. You still have your strengths and weaknesses. You ask yourself: What is going to be my motivation? What sustains me through this journey?
Playing this sport is challenging…. Challenging. There are a lot more downs than ups. So how you going to get through the down portions to make it to the ups?
TA: What you mean is: unless you win the title you lose.
TS: True, and you have to stay motivated. Some losses hurt more than others.
Tennys Sandgren prior to his opening match in Savannah Photo: Karl Corbett
TA: Last week in Tallahassee, you played a very strong match, but lost to Tommy Paul. It was a remarkable win, in that Paul saved all 15 break points he faced.
TS: I probably had two good looks out of the fifteen break points. Tommy was playing lights out. He played a very good match. He has a great kick serve out wide in the ad court … and he has a great ‘T’ serve with the kick toss. So he’s got a lot of options over there and he's hitting his forehand well, especially in the ad court. Even if I hit a neutralizing return that's floating, even when it was deep, he would hit a winner back at me, even from behind the baseline, inside out or inside in. You know, I had one or two good looks where I pressed maybe a little too much at the end of the point. That was by breakpoint number 13. So it's like he's already saved 13 up to that point.
So it's still a tremendous effort and I'm struggling because I feel like I'm very close to potentially shifting the current of the match but I can't seem to turn it. It just doesn't want to turn. I can't make it go my way. That's the thing with sport, you know, you can do things the right way, but you can't force it to go to the way you want it to. When you're on the cusp that many times of potentially doing so, it either it falls your way or it doesn't. You have to execute the shots, but there is not anything you can do extra mentally, if you're doing all the right things to make it happen your way. So it's hard to let go of that, especially when it’s going on and on and on. Some of the points I just let go played free, not trying to force anything. But some of those points, you're tight, and you’re wondering: What do I have to do to make this happen?
So Tommy would save a break point, and I’d follow up with a good deuce point and there we are again at break point.
Then, he has a game point and I hit a great return for a winner. I had a great backhand return off the kick serve, and I’m asking myself: Where was that return on the break points? You don’t get to pick and choose. You can try hard and do your best, but I walked off the court frustrated, for sure. Very frustrated,
I would love to have taken title. This has been a tough few months at tennis. I didn't win a match for almost three months. I fought really hard and I had some great matches in Tallahassee.
I was down a set and a break in the first round, came back to win sets where I was down a break and saved game points, but the final, after all those times where I was on the edge, things just did not fall for me, at all.
On the bright side, things fell for me more often than not, all the way up to the final.
TA: You can be philosophical, at least.
TS: Well, it’s much easier to be philosophical when things go your way. When you can’t get a break, it’s hard, and you wonder sometimes whether things will fall your way again, ever.
Fifteen break points, and Tommy played them all. It was not as if I was missing returns constantly, or something like that. He took a lot of it off my own racket and he played well.
TA: Have you ever had a match like that?
TS: No, not ever. Not in my entire career. If you get into a match like this, with so many break points, then you are probably holding serve pretty easily and you're probably just waiting for it to fall your way, Maybe there’s been a match where I took one of 13 break points and won the match, but that's when you're doing well. If you're having this many, looks on somebody’s return game. It means you're probably holding serve on your side. He's a good returner, and my return game is pretty good. It was very challenging and I think I made him feel a little bit like Superman, thinking, if I am going to save 15 break points, well… I am going to win. I can do no wrong. I'm going to win, that's cool.
TA: I'm sure you have had days like that.
TS: I have had days like that, when the tide just doesn't want to go against you. I have had days like that, but they are rare.
- Part II of Karl Corbett's interview with Tennys Sandgren will be posted later this week.
It's fascinating to learn that players have so many injuries, and somehow manage to push through. I don't know how they do it, when avoiding pain is one of the major drivers of human behavior.
Posted by: Karl | 05/02/2019 at 02:05 PM