It's now or never

Etcheverry seriously needs a win and to wake up. What could be better for him than a long format?

Very complicated season for the Argentine, who just can’t get going and finishes his US Open preparation with three losses in three matches. Admittedly, his level of play wasn’t great, but you also have to look at who he’s losing to. He faced Nakashima, Borges, and Atmane in the first round of the three tournaments he played. It makes sense that he’d lose those three matches on a fast surface, and I have to admit that his defeat to Atmane was actually high-level. The Frenchman had to pull out a very strong, clutch performance to get the win, which could be a sign of hope for Etcheverry. He’s a player who, whatever people say, never gives up, no matter what match he’s playing. That’s an obvious asset in Grand Slams: you have to beat him several times to actually get the win.

Slightly more convincing preparation for Kopriva, but the Czech has been winning matches against fairly weak opponents and has taken some beatings every time he’s played someone stronger than him. He’s coming off a rather disappointing Challenger in Cancun, where he lost to a physically diminished Harris and threw the match away on his own despite having chances. That’s often his trademark: he struggles to handle the ends of sets and the key moments. His serve can become shaky, and I find that his forehand hurts him more than it helps. His best shot is still, in my opinion, his flat backhand, which he can hit absolutely anywhere with quite a bit of assurance and confidence. By contrast, on the forehand side, you can feel it’s immediately more fragile and a bit less impactful. I’m not particularly a fan of him in Grand Slams; I still have a very mixed impression from his performance at Roland Garros. Sure, he beat Moutet, but then against Landaluce, he should have won the match and completely collapsed in the final set.

Etcheverry leads 1–0 in the head-to-head, with a very tight win in Rio de Janeiro this year. At that time, Kopriva was playing his best tennis, which is no longer the case now. He seems to have lost a step and only wins against fairly weak opponents. Etcheverry isn’t in top form at the moment, but he tends to play better in Grand Slams and will be very hard to beat.