Russian tennis player Karen Khachanov, currently ranked 10th in the world, has shared his perspective on his recent string of tournament outcomes. On October 16, Khachanov faced a defeat against Germany`s Jan-Lennard Struff in the second round of the Almaty tournament, with scores of 6/4, 6/7(5), 3/6. This loss marks his fourth consecutive defeat in ATP tournaments.
Khachanov reflected on his experiences, recalling how the previous summer felt “more subdued than positive.” He admitted reaching a point where he started overthinking and putting excessive pressure on himself. This led to a sense of disappointment and negativity – despite his best efforts to improve, progress seemed elusive. However, following the US Open and his first tournament in China, he had a realization: with weekly competitions, he simply grew weary of feeling upset after every loss. He emphasized, “If you`re going to get upset after every defeat, you won`t be ready for the next tournament. And tennis, to be honest, is a very peculiar sport.”
The athlete believes that while certain aspects of the game can always be analyzed, others remain unfathomable. He suggests avoiding excessive psychological introspection. “You can analyze,” he stated, “but not to the point of digging too deep. That approach doesn`t really help me.” Therefore, he reasons, if you`ve done everything within your control for the day, then… “Yes, the recent tournaments haven`t yielded the desired results, although in terms of actual play, I wasn`t losing, for instance, 2/6, 2/6. So I still maintain a certain level – not minimal, but, let`s say, an average standard. Consequently, my game is still present. The question then becomes whether you win these tight matches or not.” He drew a parallel to the start of the year: “For example, at the beginning of the year, I also lost a couple of such close matches, and then I found my form. Now, perhaps, yes. Maybe the US Open slightly disrupted me, plus my back started acting up. And that somewhat knocked me out of my rhythm, out of my routine. Now I need to `collect` these matches, so to speak.”
