A nice fresh Hubbie please!

Duel of servers and total balance expected in Dubai

Mensik has to deal with a particularly demanding sequence. After his semi-final against Fils, the Czech appeared very physically drained, which is logical given the intensity he has accumulated over the past few days. This heavy schedule is all the more challenging as he is just coming back from injury, which makes the repeated efforts even harder to manage.

By contrast, Hurkacz goes into this match with a clear advantage in terms of freshness. The Pole hasn’t played since Rotterdam and has therefore had time to recover and prepare specifically for this event. In quick conditions like the ones on offer this week in Dubai, that factor can carry a lot of weight.

The match-up promises a very interesting clash in any case. We’re dealing with two big servers, capable of rattling through quick service games and relying on very effective first serves. In this kind of scenario, rallies are likely to be short and the match could be decided on very few points, or even on one or two tie-breaks. We also shouldn’t forget Mensik’s recent context. His feat against Sinner required a huge expenditure of energy, both physical and mental. To follow that up immediately, in a new tournament, against such a solid and experienced player as Hurkacz, is a real challenge, especially for a player who is not yet fully established physically over the long haul.