(June 28, 2013) --
Sergiy Stakhovsky may not be the most recognizable tennis player to some fans. But he certainly appeared on a lot more people's radars after his surprising four-set upset of defending champion
Roger Federer at Wimbledon.
But the Ukrainian couldn't repeat his self-described "magic" against
Jurgen Melzer of Austria today in their third-round match. Melzer, who handled Stakhovsky's serve-and-volley game much better than Federer, came away with the 6-2, 2-6, 7-5, 6-3 win to secure a spot in the Round of 16 at Wimbledon for the second time in his career.
One of the reasons Stakhovsky cited for his loss? Too much attention.
"Everybody wanted to chat. Everybody wanted a piece. I mean, not that I'm denying a lot, but it just takes some time and energy off. I was trying to get out of Wimbledon as soon as I could. I think I left around 4:00 or 5:00, but I gave a lot of interviews that day."
That's an interesting statement from Stakhovsky, considering he has spent the last several years getting noticed for his on-court antics and off-court statements about the state of lower-ranked players in the game.
Just a few weeks ago at the French Open, Stakhovsky used his personal iPhone to take a picture of a ball mark during his first-round loss to
Richard Gasquet. Stakhovsky was later fined $2,000 for taking the picture, but the moment was just another in a series of recent attempts to focus attention on himself regardless of his efforts on court.
A current member of the ATP Players Council, Stakhovsky has been vocal in advocating for increased money for lower ranked players, especially for those who lose in the early rounds of the Grand Slams. Last year, Stakhovsky gave a revealing interview to LB.ua, a tennis blog, where he talked about the difficulties lower ranked pros have in making a decent living on the tour. He has also been outspoken in saying that he believes WTA players should not receive equal prize money at the majors, and he has criticized the WTA for not doing more in the effort to advocate for more prize money.
More: Stakhovsky Speaks of Difficulties of Tour Life
Stakhovsky, who was ranked as high as No. 31 in the world and holds four ATP titles, admitted he wasn't prepared to bounce back after such an emotional and unexpected win over Federer.
"I was not ready for such a turnover. I mean, next time if I'm able to produce such a result, beating a top player on a Grand Slam or any other event, I'll be more prepared and I will know how to behave myself. Today was just a new experience for me, which I was not prepared for."
While Stakhovsky will likely still revel in his upset win over Federer, it's hard to know if it will encourage the Ukrainian to become not only a fixture of the top 100 again, but to go even higher in the rankings. One thing is for sure, his win over Federer won't soon be forgotten, and Stakhovsky will very likely continue getting attention for his statements off-court, as well.
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(Photo Credit: Stephen White/CameraSport) |