What are you doing here, Coco?

The Frenchman pulled out of Cincinnati because of his wrist injury, but he’s already back. It’s a bit strange.

I didn’t think Moutet was going to play this tournament, given his withdrawal message in Cincinnati. I thought we were in for a long injury layoff, maybe even surgery, but apparently that’s not the case. He says he’s been in pain for months and wanted to take time to recover and come back when he felt ready. In the end, he only skips two weeks of tournaments and returns. I’m not convinced. I think he’s mostly coming back because it’s the last Grand Slam of the year, there’s money at stake and a chance to enjoy himself. He’s been playing through pain for a long time, and this might be the only tournament, along with Bercy at the end of the year, where he can show up injured and accept playing in pain. Otherwise, I don’t think he’ll push it. In other words, part of me thinks he’s coming just for the paycheck, but knowing his mentality and temperament, he’ll fight to the end and could even go for the win.

On top of that, he’s got a relatively decent draw with young Sweeny, who isn’t exactly a terror on tour. However, be careful not to underestimate the Australian because he always shows up for his matches. He’s an extremely tricky player to handle. He’s short, quick. He’s got a great mindset and plays with the tools he has. He hasn’t had many wins on tour lately, but you can also count on him to leave everything on the court if needed, especially since he’s got the Australian wildcard. He’ll want to make a good impression.

Moutet is better, he’s at a higher level, but I prefer him against other player profiles where he can really throw his opponents off their game. I’m not convinced his playing style will cause Sweeny a ton of problems. The other guy also likes to grind and he’s not clumsy in the short game. I’m also wondering about the physical side, because it’s a match that should normally last, and Coco might not have trained much recently. In any case, I’m not overly excited about a Moutet win.