German Tennis Championships, Hamburg

Men’s Final: [101] Florian Mayer (GER) vs. [138] Leonardo Mayer (ARG)

For the second consecutive week, a lucky loser proves to be lucky indeed by winning the title.  This week the luck was on the Argentinian’s side.  He was once ranked as high as number twenty-one, two years ago.  Like so many athletes, his career was derailed by injury.  His opponent ranking’s has also suffered due to injury; the German was once ranked as high as number eighteen. Thus, winning the title today would mean a lot to both players for the exact same reason.

The Argentinian would have to battle not only his opponent on court, but also the crowd that was heavily in favor of the German.   They were tied 1:1 going into this final and each was equally motivated to win.  Would playing on home soil give the German an added advantage?  It seemed that way when he was able to win the second set as his opponent temporarily felt the negative effects of pressure; however, it was not enough to give the German the victory.

The Argentinian relied on his Davis Cup experience to pull him through in the latter stages of the match. Just when it seemed that defeat was inevitable, he found another gear and applied unrelenting pressure to the German.  They both struggled with nerves; yet it was Leonardo Mayer who handled his better when it mattered most, saving the two break points against his serve in the final set.  Florian Mayer was not so lucky, at a crucial moment he could not elevate his game and he was broken.  Although he did not get the victory, making it to the final will certainly help his confidence heading into the hard court season. The lucky loser won 6-4, 4-6, 6-3 and will look to build on this victory heading into the hard court season.

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