Some of the big names that were due to play in Dubai have withdrawn on the eve of the event, and that means a tournament that is usually one of the big ones between the end of the Australian Open and the start of the Masters events is lacking some of the star power that we have become accustomed to seeing.
Roger Federer, Novak Djokovic and Stan Wawrinka are faces that are seen in Dubai but none of the trio are playing this week, while Rafael Nadal turned down the offer of a Wild Card as he continues resting his back issue that prevented any Tennis being played before Melbourne last month. I am not surprised that Nadal is keeping himself ready to compete for the clay court season and I would not be shocked to see him withdraw from the Miami Masters which begins at the end of the month.
Again I say it means the tournament is lacking some star power in Dubai this week and a late decision was made to expand the field.
This should still be an important week with some key Ranking points available on both the ATP and WTA Tours and that brings plenty of motivation to the court. The Miami Masters will then conclude the early hard court season and it will be on to the clay court preparation as we head towards Roland Garros, a tournament back in its usual May/June slot.
After the first winning week of the season I do feel there is something to build on this week and it also justifies my feelings that the selection method wasn't the problem, but that I had been lacking a touch of luck to open the season.
Make no mistake, Tennis is a sport of fine margins that can see a player quickly gain or lose momentum within a match and if those are constantly going against you it is almost impossible to win out. With that in mind every Tennis Pick I make needs some sprinkling of luck to fall in the favour of the selection despite the research being put into those Picks.
Sunday opened up the 'new game' with a positive start thanks to Aslan Karatsev and Alexander Bublik both producing winners, but I should really have had the clean sweep. Jeremy Chardy was up a set and a break when he fell apart in the second set and barely recovered at the end of the match to move through, but any winning day is to be appreciated.
If there are any selections from the ATP Acapulco First Round matches that are scheduled to be played on Monday I will add them here, but for now the sole selection for the day comes from the ATP Dubai tournament.
Marton Fucsovics - 2.5 games v Vasek Pospisil: You do have to wonder about the back injury that forced Marton Fucsovics to pull out of his Doha Quarter Final against Andrey Rublev last week, but I think it is likely to have as much to do with fatigue as it has with any lingering issue. He had reached the Final of the tournament in Rotterdam just a couple of days before winning two more matches in Doha, but the last win needed over two hours on the court and ultimately I think the rest will have done him good.
A strong start to 2021 has Marton Fucsovics edging back towards a career best Ranking and he would to be Seeded when the Grand Slam events roll around through the remainder of the season. Having a strong week in Dubai and then Miami would really help the Hungarian towards that aim and his performances in 2021 suggest he is going to be tough to beat.
Throughout his career, Marton Fucsovics has been a decent return player, but it is the serve that is proving to be the foundation on which his early successes have been built this season. He is well on the way to the most hard court wins in a single season since 2018 and the almost 85% mark of service games held is the best number Marton Fucsovics has had since 2017 on this surface.
The numbers are certainly looking like they will be strong enough to give Vasek Pospisil some issues if he is not serving at his very best. The Canadian has not spent a lot of time on the courts in 2021 with a 1-2 record behind him on the way to Dubai and it is hard to make a sweeping statement from a small sample of matches, but Pospisil would likely be the first to admit he needs to be better.
No one will doubt that there is a strong server inside Vasek Pospisil which could make him very dangerous on his best day, but the return game will always make it difficult to sustain runs at this level. You have to wonder if Vasek Pospisil will be able to stay with Marton Fucsovics in this First Round match in Dubai if the latter is serving as he has been, especially as the Hungarian looks to have a clear edge when it comes to the return.
Marton Fucsovics is 2-0 against Vasek Pospisil and the last of those wins came in Paris on an indoor hard court at the end of the 2020 season. There has been a significant edge for Fucsovics in those head to head as he has found a way to get into the Vasek Pospisil service games and I think that may be the case in Dubai on Monday too.
A tie-breaker may be the key to the outcome of the match as it was when they met in Paris- Marton Fucsovics has won both breakers played against this opponent and I think he will likely find a break or two more than Vasek Pospisil over the course of the match which sees him win and cover this mark.
MY PICKS: Marton Fucsovics - 2.5 Games @ 2.00 Bet365 (2 Units)
Weekly Update: 2-1, + 1.26 Units (6 Units Staked, + 21% Yield)
Season 2021: - 11.98 Units (345.5 Units Staked, - 3.47% Yield)
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