Youzhny prevails despite meltdown

There was a time when Marat Safin was Russia’s master of the on-court meltdown, berating himself for his failings when his A game deserted him and regularly smashing his rackets as a result.

However, having just seen what Mikhail Youzhny did in the Miami Masters Series on Monday, that mantle may have changed hands.

Aside from his amazing Davis Cup victory to clinch Russia’s first title back in 2002, the usually quiet and unassuming Youzhny has been overshadowed by his larger-than-life compatriot since he turned pro almost a decade ago.

Two years younger than his fellow Muscovite, Youzhny - unlike Safin - never has been to the top of the world rankings or found a way to win Grand Slam titles.
Although a consistent top-50 finisher every season since 2002, it was not until August last year - 12 months beyond his surprising run to the U.S. Open semifinals - that he broke into the Top 10 for the first time. But staying there has not been easy for him because, although very talented, his tennis, while sometimes spectacular, tends to be too inconsistent.

Having ended 2007 ranked No. 19, Youzhny started the new season well by winning his fourth career title in Chennai. He then reached his first Australian Open quarterfinal by beating fellow Russian Nikolay Davydenko, before losing out to eventual runner-up Jo-Wilfried Tsonga.

Winning the opening rubber of Russia’s Davis Cup tie against Serbia was next on his agenda, but having reached the quarterfinals of his subsequent tournament in Marseille, his form deserted him, with first-round losses in Rotterdam and Dubai followed by just one win in Indian Wells.

That brought him to Miami, where Youzhny had notched up just one victory in five previous visits.

This time he began with a comfortable 6-2, 6-2 dismissal of American qualifier Bobby Reynolds, the man responsible for seeing off Safin in the first round. When he then eased to a 4-0 lead over Spain’s Nicolas Almagro, it looked like Youzhny had little more to do than keep the ball in court to reach the last 16.

Little did we know then that it would take him another two and a half hours to get there, his dream start suddenly turning into a nightmare of frightening proportions.

Far from being carefree and confident with that double-break advantage in the first set, Youzhny suddenly was afflicted by tension and self-doubt. Boris Sobkin, who has coached him since the age of 10, probably thought he had seen it all before, but what transpired was at times fearful to behold as his man went into mental turmoil.

Almagro, who had barely landed a ball in court up to that moment, fought back to 4-4 and forced a tiebreak before Youzhny clinched it 7-4. Yet in having done so, the Russian’s exasperation only increased as his catalogue of unforced errors matched those of his opponent.

Frequently screaming to the heavens in frustration as he lost the second set, 6-3, and already warned once by the umpire Cedric Mourier for ball abuse, Youzhny was fortunate not to be penalized when he smacked another ball out of court, facing a break point during the final set.

Almagro took great exception to that let-off, screaming at Mourier during the change of ends therafter. Yet if all that seemed dramatic, what followed will linger far longer in the memories of all who witnessed it.

Try as he might, Youzhny still could not shake off the demons even when he won the point of the match, if not the tournament, with a sensational diving volley in an amazing rally that forced Almagro to hit wide. The Spaniard, who sportingly applauded that, responded by breaking to lead, 5-4, in the final set.

Teetering on the brink of defeat in the next game and seemingly at the end of his tether, Youzhny suddenly turned his own racket on himself, striking his forehead three times with the frame and drawing a stream of blood as a result.

Having already had the trainer on to massage his sore right shoulder, the Russian had to be patched up before he could continue.

Shocked, like the rest of us, by Youzhny’s self-inflicted pain, Almagro duly dropped his serve and only just regrouped in time to force a deciding tiebreak. But the Russian ultimately prevailed, 8-6, on his third match point, finally putting an end to the torture and taking his place in the fourth round.

Goodness knows what Youzhny would have done had he lost. But, as it is, such a “troubled” performance must still be a cause for concern for those close to him, especially Sobkin, who will need to provide some wise counseling if Youzhny is to be in the right frame of mind to face the tricky Serb Janko Tipsarevic.