Sho must go on

The Japanese player Sho Shimabukuro steps onto the big stage by qualifying for his first ATP 500. Enough to shake up the gloomy Kecmanovic?

And I weigh my words! If you haven’t read them, here are Kecma’s words after his defeat on January 18th at the Australian Open against Etcheverry (a loss in 5 sets): “That’s how it is. Tennis isn’t very important to me at the moment. I lost my grandmother at Christmas, that’s how it is. I gave it my all. I’m sorry I couldn’t manage to win the match in the end.” Wow... Yet he played at a very good level during the match, but still with that inconsistency that’s so typical of him. It’s all the more understandable given his mental state right now. When you have that feeling that life is hard sometimes, that tennis is just a game, it’s a bit harder to fight, isn’t it. And at the same time, he’s “sorry” he didn’t win that match. That he didn’t win it for her. What’s his motivation coming to Dallas? Life goes on, I’d say. But considering we already had some doubts about his mental toughness in the hot moments, that might get even worse now.

On the other side, Shimabukuro is a sort of Wu. An aggressive, powerful brand of tennis, which of course comes with its share of risks. The Japanese player is coming from qualies, but he didn’t face any monsters either since he was a heavy favorite each time. You still have to play a full match to take out Tomic in straight, clean sets when you’re an aggressive Challenger-level player. However, against a profile like Kecma, a good counterpuncher, I find it a bit tougher. The Japanese lost 4 and 1 to Svajda in San Diego, a profile somewhat similar to Kecma. That’s why I think the match-up doesn’t really favor the Japanese.

So my conclusion will be fairly logical given the little I know about Shimabukuro...