NEW YORK — Alejandro Tabilo was self-critical after his flat performance on Arthur Ashe against German Alexander Zverev.
“When I play these matches, I come out tense, nervous. It was a very ugly start I was not feeling the ball at all, my serve was terrible. When I am not serving well, I start to get tense from the baseline. I have to work on the mental side,” he admitted after his 6-2, 7-6 (7-2) and 6-2 defeat in the third round of the US Open.
A déjà vu of his defeat to the world No. 2 a year ago: three sets, few opportunities, many errors and a stadium so large it made him feel small.
Fifteen games of insipid tennis went by. Only at 3-4 in the second set did Tabilo show some fight, when he broke with a running forehand passing shot that he celebrated effusively with his team, positioned directly across from where he hit the winner.
It seemed he was finally getting into the match: Zverev was showing signs of fatigue from two first rounds that had ended close to two in the morning, gesturing in discomfort towards his box. But Chile’s No. 1 made a couple of unforgivable errors in the tie-break.
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“I was talking with Juanpi (his coach Juan Pablo Gándara) in the locker room — I have to come out a little more wanting to go for the kill. I had him there; I just needed to be a little more aggressive,” he admitted.
From there the tentative, spark-free tennis returned.
“I created a lot of opportunities by making him play — from the baseline I was much more solid than him in the second set. On the break points, I needed to go for the ball. If I missed, I missed, but I needed to want to go for it,” analysed the world No. 28.
“I feel like I have been playing well, so I set myself expectations… I want to believe I can beat these players. Something I need to talk through properly with the team: how to approach these matches much better.”
The positives?
“It was a very good tournament. Being able to play in this stadium… Also lasting four sets — which used to cost me a great deal — means I have been working very well on my fitness again. The Asian swing is coming up, which went well for me last year, and I would like to keep that momentum going. And the most important thing is coming: Davis Cup. Going home and preparing on clay — we have to go all out as a team,” the Chilean concluded.
