Cilic has lost in the 1st round to Baghdatis; Feli also lost to Taylor Dent. Feli’s performance is not entirely shocking as he lost quite a few 1st round matches before getting his game together in Shanghai last year and Queens this year. Also Dent was probably able to put his serve and volley game together, rushing in on short balls from Feli’s weak backhand. Yet, Feli’s game is suppose to be suited for hard surface, so what gives?
The real puzzle to me is Cilic. I fully expected him to have a great year after his demolishing of Murray at the USO last year. He had a great run in OZ ’10, only going down because of sheer exhaustion. But now he’s lost in the 1st round of the last two Masters (Toronto & Cincy). What is happening to his game? I asked @tennisconnected on twitter and they say he is blunting his talent and making poor shot selections. I have heard that he is a heady player, so maybe there is something to that suggestion. Whatever is going on, I am intrigued to see how he’ll do in USO this year. Afterall, Andy Murray was on fire up to USO and went down in flames. It seems that form is not always a predictor of success at the Slams.
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