World No. 10, Russian tennis player Karen Khachanov, offered his perspective on whether his involvement in the doubles tournament affected his second-round singles defeat at the Shanghai Masters in China. Khachanov was eliminated by local competitor Juncheng Shang with a score of 6/7 (3), 3/6.
Following his loss, Khachanov was directly questioned about any potential correlation between his doubles matches and his performance in singles. It was also highlighted that his doubles partner, Andrey Rublev, had also been knocked out of the tournament earlier.
“Honestly, I don`t believe there`s a direct connection,” Khachanov stated during his post-match press conference. “We arrived here later from Beijing, primarily due to our doubles commitments there. When you`re competing in a series of tournaments, be it the American or Asian swing, and you`re eliminated from the singles draw, you still want to stay engaged, feel the excitement, the adrenaline, and continue to compete. That`s why we decided that playing the doubles match would be beneficial. However, the conditions here are quite distinct — you`re literally drenched in sweat.”
“The humidity, the heat, the compact courts… I certainly would have appreciated more time for acclimatization, and perhaps that was a contributing factor,” he added.
“But fundamentally, the issue lies with the dynamics of singles matches. When you take a break, you can dedicate more time to training and preparation. Yet, afterward, you need to successfully navigate your first match, find your rhythm within the tournament, and re-engage with that intense match dynamic. It`s possible that this particular element was precisely what I lacked on this occasion.”