One brain for two!

Two profiles that are quite similar in their desire to attack and hit really hard, but they still have very different styles!

We last saw Struff with a loss to Cerundolo in a pretty strange match that the German could have won. His aggressiveness really unsettled Cerundolo, but as so often, Struff ended up cracking and never really pulled himself together. With him, it’s all or nothing. Since that match, Struff hasn’t played singles again and even pulled out of Chengdu, which is quite surprising, given that he could have made it there fairly early. I don’t know the reason for his withdrawal, maybe he just needed to take a break before the end of the season, but it’s still a bit surprising.

Tirante also withdrew from Chengdu, but in his case, he mentioned fatigue from the Davis Cup. I think it was the right call when you see how some players have really struggled to handle the sequence of events. The Argentine did his job in the Davis Cup, but he didn’t face any huge opponent. Instinctively, we immediately think about how Argentinians are generally not very inspired at the end of the season. But personally, I don’t think Tirante falls into that category this year. First, because he’s having a great season and wants to climb even higher, but also because it’s in his mentality to give everything, whereas some players can be a bit more fatalistic, I’d say.

In terms of momentum, I have to say I really liked Tirante’s recent tournaments, except for the US Open where he suffered a surprise loss to Mannarino. But the Frenchman’s style of play really bothered him, because Tirante prefers a steady rhythm, and he was also a bit tired after a physically and mentally exhausting Cincinnati for him. I think he’s properly recharged his batteries, and when you compare his season to Struff’s, there’s a significant gap in level. He’s also a player who knows how to play well on hard courts, unlike quite a few Argentinians. He has natural qualities that suit faster surfaces. I rate him pretty highly this year, but he’s also shown some issues getting into his tournaments, with matches he barely scraped through even though he was supposed to be a clear favorite on paper. And generally, playing Struff in the first round is anything but a freebie. Are we heading for another tough win for the Argentine?