Tennis Acumen

Denis Istomin: The Way I See It

Denis Istomin, at age 33, has played a lot of tennis, including a shocking upset in 2017, taking down the #1 player in the world. With a high ranking of #33, he has played all the other top players, as well. Denis sat down with Tennis Acumen in Columbus, Ohio. Here's part of that interview with Karl Corbett.

Karl: People love to hear about breakthrough matches and winning streaks. With that in mind, will you tell me about the Australian Open in 2017, beating Novak Djokovic? What was that experience like, just from the heart?

Denis: Actually, at that moment I was feeling great. I was happy that I beat Nole. But since then, everybody has put too much attention on this match. You know, this is the past. It's gone, and I'm still playing. I have to be there for every match. I won that match, but I have played so many matches. I have different stories, you know. Of course, to beat Novak, it's great. But to beat anyone is great. It's a win. You know, it doesn't matter who you play. It’s a win.

Denis: I mean, you cannot stop playing because you beat Djokovic or you beat Federer or you beat Nadal. Life continues. You have to win as much as you can. You cannot just stop after a win, and say it’s fine. In the Australian Open, that was just the second round. I didn't win the tournament. I didn't win the Grand Slam. It was just second round.

 

Karl: You know that's very thoughtful.

Denis: Actually, people place so much attention on that one match, but it's already in the past. Personally I just forgot about it, and that's it. I am sure Nole forgot about it the next day, forgot that he lost. Really, it's years ago. I have pretty much forgotten what I was thinking after the match.

 

Karl: Thank you for that. That's an intelligent look at things, Denis.

 

READ MORE: What is it like to play against a friend? Denis tells us, here: (LINK)

There is more to this interview, and we'll get it all out to you. Stay tuned to Tennis Acumen.

You may also enjoy:  Vasek Pospisil talks about winning Wimbledon, here: (LINK)

 

 

Jurij Rodionov: Breakthrough Tennis

February 2020, and Austrian tennis player Jurij Rodionov is the hottest player on the Challenger tour. In February alone, he has jumped 200 rankings points. After a win in Columbus, Ohio, he sat down with Tennis Acumen. Here's part of that exclusive interview. Jurij talks with Tennis Acumen's Karl Corbett. 

Jurij Rodionov sends back a ball at the 2020 Columbus Challenger (photo: Karl Corbett)

Karl: Jurij, you are on a hot streak right now. Looking back at your career, is there a particular match you could call a breakthrough?

Jurij: Not really, no. I had a breakthrough season, starting in 2018 and going into 2019. I was in the top 200 already. The second half of last year (2019) didn't go right and I dropped to 360, but now I'm back at 160. This is really my second breakthrough.

 

Karl: Here in February 2020, you've won 14 out of your last 15 matches. You won titles in Dallas and Morelo (Mexico). You have gone from number 360 in the world to number 160. Where does that ‘zone’ come from, Jurij, that consistency that every player is looking for?

Jurij: Well, I started the tour in Dallas and it was my first tournament with a touring coach, Javier Frana from Argentina. He's a very experienced guy. He was a top 30 ATP player.   We have been talking a lot and just focusing on focusing. We’re talking about my game, what I should focus on, what shots I should play. Javier works with me on how I should play in which situations. I think this helped me a lot and now, I just enjoy playing. I really have fun on the court.

 

Karl: Jurij, some guys really love to win and some guys hate to lose even more, but you're more “even flow” here. Just playing the game.

Jurij: I realized for myself, the more I focus on winning or losing, the worse I play. So, I always tell myself: “Don't look at the scoreboard. Just play what you've learned, play out what you did during practice, just have fun.” I just really focus on telling myself to be calm and to fight and enjoy. Even if I lose, I tell myself: “I played a great match. I had fun on the court.” I don't really focus on winning or losing right now. Especially now. I’ve had such a great run over the last few weeks I'm just enjoying myself right.

Karl: That is a refreshing attitude.

 

 

Read about another young gun, 16-year-old American Zach Svajda, in an exclusive interview, here:(LINK)

 

Reilly Opelka: Life on Tour

February 2020:  Reilly Opelka has just won his second ATP title, emerging at the top of the heap in Delray Beach, Florida. Last summer, the day after he broke into the top 50,  Reilly Opelka sat down for an exclusive interview with Karl Corbett of Tennis Acumen. We talked about life on the road.

 

 

Karl: When you have friends and family in the stands, do you interact with them, or just keep your focus on the court?

Reilly: I don't really look up in my box much. I might, occasionally look at my coach, if anything. He doesn’t ever communicate with me. I'll just chirp at him a little bit, but that's about it.

 

Karl: How do you deal with a bad day, and the frustration that comes with the game?

Reilly:  It’s hard, especially losing. Actually, I shouldn’t say that it’s hard. That's all right. It's just a normal part of life. Highs and lows are something everyone has. It's easy for me to find. Fun in most things. It only gets tough when I'm alone. That's when I struggle the most, and that is pretty rare. I try to avoid that, to be honest. At a tournament where Francis (Tiafoe) or (Taylor) Fritz aren’t going to be there, I invite all of my friends to come. I try to avoid that feeling of being alone and on the road. It's usually my least favorite. I like being around people I like being around my friends.

 

Karl: Reilly, one last question: What is your life going to be like a year from now?

Reilly: I don't know. I couldn't tell you, really. That's the exciting part. Every day is different. Every week's different. You never know, and that's what crazy about this life. I am just thankful for each day as it comes.

 

There's more to this interview. Take a look around, and enjoy your visit to Tennis Acumen.

Vasek Pospisil: Dealing With Defeat

Vasek Pospisil is a Canadian tennis player, ranked as high as number 25 in the world in singles, number 3 in doubles. In 2014, playing with American Jack Sock for the first time, Pospisil won the Wimbledon championship.  In singles, Pospisil reached the Wimbledon quarterfinals in 2014. This post is part of a series, based on an exclusive interview with Karl Corbett of Tennis Acumen, in Knoxville, Tennessee, November 2019.

 

Karl: When you were young, how did you deal with losing or struggling or not finding your game?

Vasek: Oh.... I didn't like it. When you're a kid, you're a little too hard on yourself. You take it too personally when you're losing matches. It's hard to have a mature outlook on the process and on developing your game when you're young, because you don't really understand it.

Vasek: When you get older, you handle defeats much more productively. You look at it and you try to learn from it, much more than when you're young. I think when you're young, it just hits you on a personal level, when it really shouldn't. But you figure, that's being a kid, right? So, it's hard when you're struggling. It's hard when you lose. And that's where good coaching and good parenting goes a long way, because you know they are there to guide you. They can get you thinking about losses in the sport in the right way. I was fortunate in my life that I had good guidance. I was able to go through that process, maybe a little bit quicker than someone who doesn't have the right guidance. So, tennis is a long, long journey with lots of ups and downs. You've got to adapt to the environment that you're in, and it's not an easy one. Not an easy one, for sure.

 

(Vasek has a practice court reserved and has just 5 minutes to spare. Tennis Acumen asks to continue the interview, later on in the week.)

Vasek: I'm playing a match tomorrow, so let's get together after that. Can we still use some of this?

 

Karl: Absolutely. This is great stuff.

Vasek: Oh, I'd love it. Perfect. Thank you.

 

 

READ MORE: What are Vasek's favorite cities, his favorite places on tour?  (LINK)

 

We have quite a few interviews, ready for your reading pleasure at Tennis Acumen. Take a look around.

 

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Reilly Opelka: Getting Started

July 25th, 2019: Reilly Opelka is an ‘up and coming’ American tennis player with a huge serve. At age 21, he has just broken into the top 50 with his Atlanta victory over another big server, John Isner. The day after his match with Isner, Reilly Opelka sat down for an exclusive interview with Tennis Acumen. This is part of a series of posts from that interview with Karl Corbett

(photo credit: Karl Corbett,  (c) Tennis Acumen)

Karl: When did you know that tennis was going to be a big part of your life, Reilly? What made it a passion, and when did you discover it was the most important thing for you?

Reilly: I'm not quite sure when moment exactly was. I think Tom Gullikson was kind of a huge influence on me. He loved tennis and kind of shared that with me just by having me around: practicing with me a lot, watching a lot of tennis with me. He took me to tournaments. He and my Dad were good friends. So, my Dad and I went with him to Cincinnati a few times. So just being honest, I think he's the main reason why I play. He was just fun for me to be around and he's like family to me. More so than anything and I think he's the main reason why I stuck with tennis and why I have so much fun with it.

 

Karl: And what part does your family play in your game?

Reilly:  In my game? Not so much anymore. My parents stay out of my way, which is which is great from a tennis standpoint. But back in the day, when I was younger, my Mom drove me around everywhere to get to practice and my Dad, every weekend, would take me to tournaments. Then my sister sacrificed a lot for me as well. She moved down to Boca Raton from Palm Coast, so I could be training at the USTA when I was younger. So, my mom told her: “Look, if you're not comfortable going, that’s fine. But my sister was excited that I had that opportunity and she made the move, no problem. It ended up working out great for the whole family.

 

Karl: That kind of support means a lot.

 

(There's more from this interview, available here at Tennis Acumen.

How far do you think Reilly will rise in the rankings? Click on comments, below, and sound off.

Reilly Opelka: Breakthrough Matches

Reilly Opelka is an ‘up and coming’ American tennis player. At the end of 2018, he was tied in the rankings alongside veteran Ivo Karlovic, age 40. They are the two tallest players on tour, at 6’ 11”, and both have a huge serve. Within a matter of weeks, Opelka won the 2019 New York 250 title, and took a firm lead in rankings over Karlovic. It was a changing of the guard. This is part of a series based on Karl Corbett's exclusive interview with Reilly Opelka.

Karl: You have had some breakthrough matches. Which ones do you remember most?

 

Reilly: I think my first breakthrough match was actually here in Atlanta. I beat Kevin Anderson. (Opelka, 18 years old in 2016, defeated Anderson 6-7, 6-3, 7-5, hitting 20 aces in the match). That was my first, I’d say. Then, I beat Donald Young after that (Two days later, still in Atlanta, at the quarterfinals). I didn't string together big wins, though, until until this year. That’s why I didn't crack the top one hundred till late last year and haven't cracked the top 50 till now. I've had big wins since I've been on tour. I mean, all along I have beaten some good players, or been extremely close to beating some really good players, but being consistent with it and doing it back to back to back is what a good tennis player does and I think I'm getting there. I'm heading in that direction.

 

Karl: Love it. Off court, who you enjoy spending time with?

 

Reilly: Frances Tiafoe. Taylor Fritz. Tommy Paul. My best friends are on tour. I like hanging out with Jack Sock a lot. I like Nick Kyrgios. Nick’s been a good buddy. We all get along pretty well. And then I also have a lot of close friends not related to tennis at all. So, I have a really a group of friends in California that live in San Clemente. I’ve had friends coming to (Washington) DC next week. Friends have come to the US Open, and even to Madrid. I have a lot of close friends in Miami as well where I live. I'm always on the go, so I end up with good friends in a lot of different cities.

 

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Vasek Pospisil: Surgery and Setbacks

Vasek Pospisil is a Canadian tennis player, ranked as high as number 25 in the world in singles, number 3 in doubles. In early 2019, he went through surgery, and did not play a match from late October of 2018 until Wimbledon,  July 2019. Pospisil talked about injury, surgery and recovery in this exclusive interview with Tennis Acumen, in Knoxville, Tennessee, November 2019. Karl Corbett poses the questions.

Karl: Everyone gets hurt, playing this game, Vasek, and you are coming back from surgery. What’s that like for you, on a personal level?

Vasek: I've changed a lot in the last year, especially since the surgery and the hard work of coming back to the sport. I think I've just kind of changed my perspective on not only my passion for tennis, but on the sport itself. You know, you take things for granted and then suddenly, you get injured. You realize how much you love to do what you do. It gave me a new perspective on life in general. To be honest, I think it's helped me be a bit more relaxed on the court these last few months. I really think it was having that extra time, just to get busy with other things in life, going beyond that identity where you're just a tennis player. You know, that can kind of handcuff you a little bit, if you put too much pressure on yourself. So, I think, actually, that a break away from tennis was healthy in my in my case.

 

READ MORE: What was it like winning Wimbledon? Vasek tells you, here: (LINK)

 

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Sofia Kenin: When Nobody is Watching

 

It happened back in 2017, on  Tennis Acumen’s annual pilgrimage to Surprise, AZ for the Women's ITF $25K tournament.  In years past, we had seen Jo Konta, Monica Puig and Catherine Bellis in action.  In 2017, we went to see 2016 Wimbledon Junior Champion Anastasia Potapova. 

As we were watching Potapova play in Surprise, several other matches were taking place.  One match in particular caught our attention: Sofia Kenin in action.  With thirty people watching the Potapova match, there was not a soul watching Kenin.  During the Potapova match, we did make the short walk, two courts over, to watch some of Kenin's match, but… like everyone else, we wanted to watch the Junior Wimbledon Champion play that day.

Fast forward to 2019: Kenin won her first WTA title in Hobart without dropping a set.  In March, Kenin would reach the Acapulco final, defeating Victoria Azarenka and Bianca Andreescu in the process.

Sofia Kenin would then stun the tennis establishment with a 6-2 7-5 victory over Serena Williams in the 3rd round at Roland Garros. Kenin also beat Belinda Bencic in a three-set final to win the Mallorca title.  Next, Kenin would reach semifinals in Toronto, where she defeated Ash Barty and in Cincinnati, defeating Naomi Osaka.  Kenin would win her third title of the year in Guangzhou, defeating former US Open Champion Sam Stosur in a three-set final.

Thus, perhaps Sofia Kenin's victory in the 2020 Australian Open was already in the making, when nobody was watching.  In 2019 alone, she defeated Grand Slam Champions: Serena Williams, Ashley Barty, Bianca Andreescu, Garbine Muguruza and Victoria Azarenka.

In Melbourne, Kenin dropped just two sets in the fortnight, one to fellow American upstart CoCo Gauff in the opening set of their 4th round match.  After correcting course against Gauff, Kenin lost just three of the next fifteen games and recorded an impressive bagel in the third set of that match.  Against Ash Barty in the semifinals, the Australian world #1 held set points in both sets but it was Kenin who would prevail to march to the final.  The other lost set was the opening set in the final against Garbine Muguruza.  Kenin then went on to win twelve of the next sixteen games to win the title.  

Following the Championship match, Kenin elaborated:   "I knew I had to take my chance. I had to be brave by playing a two-time Grand Slam champion. All respect to her. She played a really tough match. Every point, it was such a battle. A lot of moving. A lot of emotions on court from both sides."

Sofia Kenin entered the Australian Open as the #14 seed in the tournament.  She departs Melbourne as a Major Champion and the world #7 in the new WTA rankings.

Her rise from obscurity has been astonishing. Three years away from a match that nobody wanted to see... to a Grand Slam title in Australia.