Another giant killing act on the tennis courts by Australians has resulted in heartbreak for the country now that the world No.182 player has crashed out in the next round following a grueling battle with a highly ranked Frenchman.
The Australian outsider stunned onlookers with a monumental upset over the French behemoth earlier in the week spurring a surprise spark in the country.
The loss underlined the tough requirements of life as a professional where players below the level of the top 150 in the world often have full schedules and far fewer resources than rivals.
But it was the pace of the tournament and the necessary quick turnaround between matches which told for the Australian where the effects of fatigue became apparent from the start and accumulated as the match progressed.
After trading games in the beginning the Australian struggled to produce similar strength and attack as had ruined his French opponent a few days previously.
The unforced errors began creeping in his first serves became inconsistent and hence a majority of the prolonged rallies went in favor of his more senior and fresher rival.
Although it was a resounding defeat it didn’t in the least diminish the importance of the preceding upset.
Results of such magnitude rarely happen to players with such low rankings and can be the precipitating or defining factor as far as the player is concerned at least in terms of money and psychology.
The prize money from such a tournament can pay for travel and training expenses for the better part of the year.
Australian tennis administrators have traditionally highlighted the gap that exists between young players and the elite as a structural issue.
Unlike their rivals in Europe and the USA, Australian players must in many cases travel a long way in order to gain regular exposure on the international circuit.
For those outside of the top level teams a breakthrough week may be followed directly by the reality that comes with being constrained in terms of recovery and needing to support emotive weeks of performance.
This match was also a reminder that turning a shocking upset into lasting success can be incredibly difficult.
The fact is that in order for a player to defeat a top seed they will have had to call upon levels of adrenaline that cannot necessarily be accessed when facing a less well known but equally eager opponent.
Although his sudden withdrawal is unfortunate the Australian is believed to move up considerably in the rankings following his triumph against the French star.
This will help his inclusion in subsequent tournaments somewhat since he will not need to rely on qualifying draw matches.
Rather look to what comes next. While it has been painful to follow such a precipitous drop from such a high level of achievement this has been a week which has provided a preview of what’s been made possible.
In a world in which such fine margins are always a part of sports it’s always a challenge to watch lower ranked Aussies turn such moments of brilliance into lasting success.
