Monte-Carlo Rolex Masters, Monaco 

[CR11] Grigor Dimitrov (BUL) vs. [CR40] Fernando Verdasco (ESP)

Verdasco continues to underwhelm despite his overwhelming talents.  Why does he continue to struggle this much?  Despite the fact that Verdasco has beaten the best, he battles that demon called self-doubt, not quite convinced that he is capable or perhaps deserving of success.  When you watch how he is capable of competing with the best, you remain baffled by his less than stellar career despite his amazing tennis ability. Yet, it also underscores once again how impressive it is what the top players have been able to achieve consistently.  It is not easy to compete every day with a hundred percent belief; however, more often than not that is what they have done.

Nevertheless, we also have seen the result of top players struggling with confidence, so the malady is not exclusive to the lower ranked players, it simply is just that top ranked players are usually better able to overcome or fight through their periods of low confidence. At this age, one wonders if Verdasco will ever overcome his demon.  He can still produce moments of great tennis and will occasionally beat the top players, but can he produce at that high level consistently to achieve the success that he once did?  Today was another example where Verdasco’s failure to believe was his undoing, and when he needed to strike the ball with conviction, he pushed it.  Dimitrov, also having his own struggles was glad to get the 6-4, 4-6, 6-4 victory.