Not the right time?

Sakamoto is often invited as Blanch at certain tournaments but unlike the American I don’t have a good feeling about it right now

As an IMG player, Sakamoto gets a bit of help to enter this kind of tournament, but his wild cards aren’t only due to that! He plays well, has already won a junior Slam and is backing it up on the Challenger tour, so it actually makes sense to see him receive wild cards. That said, I’m still not totally convinced yet; every time I see him on tour I get the hype, but I’m left wanting more, let’s say. He doesn’t quite have that little extra something yet and he’s struggling to back it up outside of Challengers for now. I’m just waiting to be convinced!

Kovacevic has had me convinced since the very first tournament of the year; he’s got real ambition for this season and you could say he’s living up to it so far, he’s taking a real step forward and playing some great matches. His tournament in Indian Wells is even more encouraging and I think that with a bit more confidence he can become a really solid tour-level player. His track record in Miami isn’t good, BUT that was already the case in Indian Wells and he still played very well there; for me it was more a question of level than anything else. He likes it when it’s fast, Miami will suit his serve/forehand even if his backhand will be easier to target.

He’s in great form, at home as well, and playing really well this year. Sakamoto is progressing at his own pace and can spring a few surprises, but I don’t think this is the right match to believe in that…