Dubai Duty Free Tennis Championships, United Emirates

[12] Gael Monfils (FRA) vs. [35] Fernando Verdasco (ESP)

Three of their previous eight sets went to tiebreaks and two sets went to 7-5; thus I expected this match would be a battle for Monfils.  Although Verdasco has been playing some quality tennis lately, I thought Monfils would find a way to win given his 3:0 lead in their head-to-head.  Verdasco has the game to beat anyone (he was once ranked #7); the problem for Verdasco has been a lack of confidence in his skills/ability, which has often resulted in his inability to execute his game plan.  As players get older we expect a dip in the quality of tennis they produce, but Verdasco experienced his dip relatively early in his career.  He has been able to produce brilliant tennis sporadically, but just can’t stay committed long enough to win the big tournaments.

Perhaps he has come to the realization that it’s now or never and seems to have rededicated himself to playing consistently good tennis this season. He still has to fight against the tendency to fall back to old habits and negate the negative thoughts that plague him. He defeated Monfils 6-3, 7-5 and is into his second semifinals of the season where he will face another veteran, Robin Haase. If Verdasco chooses to stay focused he can get to the final; however, there is still some doubt every time he steps on court these days as to which Verdasco will show up.  Many players struggle to stay committed and that may be one of the reasons why despite their talent, they fail to maximize their potential. Can Verdasco go all the way and win the title?

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