Healing match

Terence Atmane lost to Arthur Fils after missing two match points in Barcelona, and it was Arthur Fils who went on to win the trophy. Atmane was quite upset about that match and, given the Frenchman’s sensitive nature, one might wonder how he reacted, especially since he’d been playing at a very high level for several tournaments. On the Serbian side, there was a defeat in the deciding-set tie-break of the third set against the German Zverev in Munich. A bit of a disappointment as well, but a little less sadness for the Serb, who has been playing good tennis for quite some time. As usual, it’s the clutch factor and the mental side that are missing, but the level is impressive when you think about it. Nevertheless, the conditions in Madrid could slightly favor the Frenchman here with his clean, powerful ball-striking. Despite the many losses for the Serb Kecmanovic in Madrid, I think he has the complete game to counter the Frenchman, who is not only solid but also attacks intelligently with his forehand. In this match, we’ll have to anticipate which player the conditions will favor more and whether Terence Atmane will have recovered from his tough loss in Barcelona.