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It didn't work out, but it was worth a French Open singles try for Vasek Pospisil

It didn't work out, but it was worth a French Open singles try for Vasek Pospisil

PARIS – It seems as though it’s one thing after another for Vasek Pospisil, the likeable Canadian player who already has a Wimbledon doubles title under his belt.

The biggest question you get asked about him is about why he always seems to be injured. At 6-foot-4, solidly built with legs like tree trunks, he doesn’t look like the injury-prone type.

It isn’t, in fact, a fair question. Some of Pospisil’s woes have been plain bad luck; certainly the severe ankle sprain he suffered less than three weeks ago in Madrid, the one that compromised his singles effort at the French Open (he's still in the men's doubles), was a freak occurrence.

The back woes Pospisil suffered last year aren’t all that unusual in tennis, which seems littered these days with long-term injuries of all kinds. The number of “protected ranking” players in the men’s singles draw was significant – and it didn’t even include Janko Tipsarevic of Serbia and Juan Martin del Potro of Argentina, both former top-10 players dealing with long-term injuries who ended up not being able to make their date in Paris.

Pospisil says there’s a dividing line between the regular aches and pains, and actual injuries. The back, and now the ankle, are injuries. The other issues he’s had – his shoulder, some knee tendonitis, even a bone bruise in his right wrist that he’s had all season and still isn’t right – are aches and pains.

“Everybody has to manage something – except maybe (Novak) Djokovic, I mean, I think he’s the only one whose body is almost perfect,” Pospisil said. “Everyone has weaknesses and limitations in their bodies that they learn about themselves, and they have to deal with, put into their routine like I have with my back and some other things.”

A top-10 player perhaps could have the luxury of skipping the French Open, if he had Pospisil’s ankle. But for the 24-year-old Canadian, it’s a bit of a different decision simply because the parameters are different.

“You can make the same decisions the top-10 guys do, if it’s better for your career. But for me, it maybe made more sense and come back and try for Roland Garros. It’s a big event, you never know what can happen – even 45 (ranking) points or so can make a difference at the ranking where I’m at. The money’s good, as well,” Pospisil said. “For a top-10 guy, if he doesn’t see himself being able to make quarter-finals, then maybe it makes less sense than for somebody who’s ranked lower, where even a round or two could make a difference.”

Pospisil could have ended up drawing a wild card in the first round instead of a top-40 player like Sousa, and gotten a few favourable breaks in the draw. And – not that you wish any harm to your opponent – but when Pospisil sprained his ankle in Madrid, he and partner Jack Sock were crushing their opponents. And they ended up advancing on his injury retirement. The first part of the battle is showing up.

Plus, it’s a major. You want to be there. And Pospisil and Sock are seeded No. 2 in the doubles, so that’s another factor (and a nice potential payday) to consider.

But Pospisil ended up with a tough opponent in Sousa, and despite a few bright moments in the second set, he lost 6-3, 7-6 (5), 6-1.

Here's what it looked like; there was just the one moment where Pospisil winced in pain, as he tried to change direction quickly to reach a serve out wide to his forehand. 

The ankle was never far from his mind, and the pain from the bone bruise (which was technically the only ankle-related pain he was feeling), was there to remind him.

“I wasn’t sure how the ankle was going to be. It’s about as good as I was hoping it would be, but maybe I still didn’t have the confidence to move, and still had a bit of that fear that because it isn’t where it should be I could roll it again. You’re thinking about this, you’re thinking about the grass season, you have all these thoughts in the back of your mind. Not wanting to reinjure it,” Pospisil said.  My mind wasn’t clear. I just didn’t have the speed in my legs that I normally do. I was slow on the returns, slow moving on the forehand, VERY slow moving on the backhand, I’d give him a short ball and he’d just dictate play.”