“[Going into the match] today, I knew it was going to be some real tennis on the court,” Adrian Mannarino told VAVEL after his 7-6, 6-3 win over Australian, Sam Groth. The Frenchman struggled with Court 1’s conditions in his first round match, claiming “he could not play his game.” Today, with the security of hawk-eye, more space for the players, and a 1-0 head-to-head lead, Mannarino could enter the match assured that he was not going to “lose because the conditions w[ere] really ugly for the players,” but instead, “if [he was] losing, lose because the guy was better than [him].”
Mannarino Mounts A Comeback
Just as he did on Tuesday, Mannarino found himself trailing behind his opponent soon after the match commenced. Down 5-1, the set appeared to be finished, as did his patience. Once more, his surge in frustration helped him to refocus and to begin rallying to close in on the four-game deficit. As he started to gain control of the set, it was Groth who found himself losing his consistency, and his composure. By the beginning of the tiebreak, both men had been given code violations for racquet abuse, yet Groth was the only player still struggling to stay on track—both mentally and physically. Several more double faults from Groth gave Mannarino the edge he needed to slip away with the first set: 7-6 (8).
Photo Courtesy: Getty Images Sport | Adam Pretty
Mannarino Completes the Victory
Following a two-hour rain delay, Mannarino returned to the court a calmer player. Certainly, winning the first set helped him to feel more relaxed while he waited--something he attributed to his gain in confidence.
“You try and stay focused, not to think about anything else…but it’s hard because you’re still stressed during the rain delay. You try to keep doing what you’re doing well. When you step on court you have something in mind: you know how you’re going to play, what you have to do. And today I was trying just to focus on my game. What I had to do. And it worked very well because when I came back on court I was very consistent,” the sixth seed explained to VAVEL.
He could certainly boast his consistency as the key to his win; Mannarino served just four double faults and made 63 percent of his first serves. Groth, on the other hand, produced nine double faults—nearly two free games worth of points—and only made 41 percent of his first serves. These elements ultimately helped Mannarino to seal the second and final set, 6-3.
Photo Courtesy: Getty Images Sport |Daniel Smith
Final Thoughts:
Mannarino admitted that, while he played terrific tennis, his opponent’s amount of unforced errors also helped him to win the match.
“Well I think that he got a bit too relaxed when he made 5-1 and he didn’t serve a good game. He made a lot of aces but some double faults. But, you know, he tried his best to put a lot of pressure. He hasn’t been really lucky I think because he was making some really close mistakes. But it’s really good for me. I can’t complain about that.”
He also cited the wind as the biggest challenge for serving—and for the match.
“Well it’s not easy to serve and return with the wind like this. Sometimes you’re just not putting the ball in the court but that’s just normal. You’re just trying to do your best, trying not to go crazy because you know that it’s really hard but, trying to stay focused.”
Photo Courtesy: Getty Images Sport | Julian Finney
Today’s match did not feel as mentally taxing as his first round encounter.
“This is always something really cool to get the hawk-eye on the court. Sometimes you are just getting one break point during a set and if a bad call happens at this moment you just go out of your mind. And I knew that today that wasn’t going to happen.”
Does he have the confidence to win the tournament? Can he knock out the third-seeded Gilles Muller, in tomorrow’s quarterfinal matchup?
“Well. I can win any tournament if I’m playing it. I’m stepping on the court just doing my best and thinking I can win so it doesn’t matter who is still in the tournament and what tournament it is. I am still trying my best and sometimes I’m winning sometimes I’m losing, but this is the game.”
Mannarino will need to retain this mentality if he hopes to dismantle the Luxembourger, of whom he is 0-2 against in head-to-head encounters, tomorrow.