He might have to if he eliminates seeded 8th, Diego Schwartzman, on Friday in the third round. Then on Saturday, he would most likely play against defending title Rafael Nadal, the main candidate for this year’s victory as well. Nobody can imagine that the king of clay courts would lose to Dusan Lajovic in the 1/8 finals.
In order to establish a balanced fight with the hegemon from Majorca, Hurkacz would have to jump into the sky, like Duplantis at Stadio Olimpico. For now, many people would probably judge that he is not ready for it, but great matches have repeatedly aroused the souls of warriors in tennis players. This was the case, among others, in the case of Hubert, when he fought a great battle with Novak Djokovic in Wimbledon 2019 for two sets.
Now, perhaps, in Italy, he will face the last of the big three players, whom he has not yet faced. He has competed with Djokovic twice, he has also had the opportunity to fight with Federer, now, after years of waiting, he would have a chance to meet Rafa. And on its territory and on its terms – on the beloved meal and in a tournament in which Nadal has already won nine times. This would probably be Hubert’s most difficult tennis exam in his career. A test of patience, regularity, mental toughness, where every single gem would count double or triple. The Spaniard is famous for not giving up even for a moment and always wants to win as high as possible. For example, as with Pablo Carreno Busta, when the show ended with the score 6: 1, 6: 1. Against the backdrop of Rafa na brick, the rival always finds out what he is really worth. It is extremely strict, but also reliable verification.
Of course, first you have to jump over Schwartzman, with whom the 23-year-old from Lower Silesia has already stumbled this season. He won with him in the ATP Cup in Sydney 4: 6, 6: 3, 6: 2. The 170 cm player from Buenos Aires, the lowest player in the top pro, is currently not in top form. He quickly dropped out of the US Open, and also failed after moving to Europe on the ground in Kitzbuehel. It seems that there is a really good chance to “throw” him out of the bracket this time. Hubert is also not at the highest disposition yet, but there are first symptoms that his status is changing. The victory over the recently performing well, Rublev, heralds a reversal of the unfavorable trend. For the first time since January, in a great event, “Hubi” was able to decide in his favor two subsequent meetings. Anyway, the situation of Schwartzman is similar. He also did it for the first time in the era of coronavirus. He had very limited training opportunities in his homeland for a long time.
So we are facing a duel of two players who are on the rising wave and trying to free themselves from their problems. If Hubert had won on Friday, he would have been able to ride Roland Garros with a clear conscience. The quarter-final in the prestigious event and the clash with Rafael Nadal would be a harbinger of much better times. Especially that in Paris, a tennis player led by Craig Boynton would certainly be seeded, which was not the case in Italy due to the smaller bracket. Here you have to play matches with your rivals from the Top 50 right away.
What are the conclusions of the Pole’s matches in the Italian capital so far? You can certainly notice that he is trying to stay focused longer, although there are gaps in this respect, such as at the beginning of the second set with Rublev. Certainly he constructs his actions wisely, although it is known that now his aggression and attack level must increase. With Nadal only standing on the end line, he will not score more than a few games. The Hurkacz service also functions quite confidently, and certainly better than in the USA. In the third round duel, it should be his strong weapon. With the Spaniard, when he goes far back under the ranks, one would have to think about new tactics. Maybe some kind of madness at the net, maybe a super aggressive return to break his rhythm? Yes, to give myself at least some chance for something more than the role of a statistician.
But these things can only be worked on on Saturday. That’s when, to win, you will have to jump and deserve definitely more than a six. On Friday, a very good mark is enough to win. And it will also be an art to receive it in the evening!
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