Someone suggested he could opt for the Seniors Tour if he so wants, but when he is still pounding heavy forehands at age 36 and blasting aces that leave the younger lot feeling like a castaway marooned on an island, why should he even entertain the thought?
You probably must have guessed, the player in question is Fernando Verdasco. A Doha resident and ardent admirer of Qatar, especially for what it does for sport, the Spaniard hardly gave any hint that he has tired of the punishing ATP circuit by producing a scintillating display against Serbia’s Filip Krajinovic for a 7-5, 4-6, 6-0 victory and a spot in the quarter-finals of the Qatar ExxonMobil Open.
The match took two hours and five minutes and was not without a wobble – you would grant that to someone who turned pro in 2001 at age 18 – but then didn’t he finish it in some style!
Krajinovic was the sixth seed in Doha after a remarkable 2019 that saw him reach two finals – in Budapest and Stockholm, the third round of the Masters in Miami and the fourth round of the Masters in Indian Wells, falling to Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal, respectively. He also had other notable credits.
At 27, he is also nine years younger than Verdasco, but that was not much of an advantage yesterday. He showed promise but also displayed a lot of irritability. On several occasions, his expressions gave advance notice he was not going to win. The powerful down-the-line forehand that Verdasco unleashed to win the final set at 6-0, perhaps came only as a formality.
“Yes it’s a pretty amazing feeling to win here. I am a resident here and I am so happy and honoured to win in front His Highness the Amir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad al-Thani,” Verdsaco said during a courtside interview.
He added that it was tough losing the second set and that he had to summon all his physical and mental resolve to fight back.
After nine games went with serve in the first set where both played steadily, Verdasco sneaked in a break in the 10th game before wrapping it up.
In the second set, the game produced a similar pattern but Verdasco couldn’t win the big points, with the result that as many as eight break points went to waste.
“Not winning any of the eight break points I had in the second set was particularly tough, especially mentally. But the support I had from the fans helped me to stay strong,” he said after blasting 17 aces.
But the third set was a breeze as he served and returned accurately. So much so that Krajinovic didn’t have a clue as he conceded a bagel.
Verdasco said it was important for him to stamp his authority early in the decider.
“I think it was very important to establish control early. The two double faults by him early in the third set really helped. He was playing really good earlier and I’m sure he’ll be a bit disappointed,” added Verdasco.
Earlier in the day, second seed Andrey Rublev showed why he is rated very highly by even players like Roger Federer.
The 22-year-old got the better of Kazakhstan’s Mikhail Kukushkin 6-4, 6-2 in 69 minutes to book his spot in the quarter-finals.
Although the scoreline does say something of the ease with which Rublev achieved the task, there was a bit of history between them, with the Russian at the wrong end of it.
They had clashed four times in regular play and two times during the qualifiers of ATP tournaments, with Kukushkin winning four of them.
“I expect it was going to be really, really tough match because I know Mikhail since a long time. And especially our last meetings for — I don’t know — let’s say for the last one and a half year, out of four, he beat me three times, quite confident. And the last time I remember that I won was really, really tough in Cincinnati,” said Rublev.
“So I expected it’s going to be, again, really tough match for me, that it will take a lot of — I don’t know — things for me to beat him. And I’m really happy that I could win in straight sets today.”
But anyway, I think it was — today was a more mental match. Both of us were not really feeling the ball as normally we can feel, so it was more about mental.”
The Russian said he felt the nerves during his first day at the office this year.
“Today it was the first match of the season, first match since two months. And, of course, I was a little bit nervous. And my team felt it since the beginning and I felt it also since the beginning. And, yeah, it was more stress, nervous.
“But in the end, I’m happy that I was focused more on the things that how I can win with the game that I have today. And I’m happy with my performance.”
Rublev, the runner-up here in 2018, added that he feels much more confident this year.
“I improved during the last half year. I raised my level of which I’m confident and I’m really happy with that.
“But anyway, every match is tough. Every match you don’t know how you feel because you cannot play amazing every day. It will be for sure some days, even if you’re confident, some days will be that you’re not feeling the ball well. So this is normal.”
Meanwhile, third seed Jo-Wilfred Tsonga’s stint at this year’s tournament ended with his first match as he was ousted by Serbia’s Miomir Kecmanovic 7-6 (9), 6-1.
Tsonga, who won here in 2012, had admitted that, unlike Verdsaco, age was catching up with him, and the 34-year-old was no match for the 20-year-old Serb who won their very first meeting yesterday.
“I tried to stay calm especially in the tie-break and it paid off. I played some really good tennis today and I’m really happy about it,” said Kecmanovic, who reached his best world ranking of 42 last September.
“It’s definitely a pretty cool feeling. I hoped it would happen but obviously didn’t know it would be that quick. I am really excited to be here and hopefully I can keep going.”


RESULTS
Singles (2nd Round)
2-Andrey Rublev (RUS) bt Mikhail Kukushkin (KAZ) 6-4, 6-2; Q-Marton Fucsovics (HUN) bt WC-Cem Ilkel (TUR) 6-1, 6-4; Fernando Verdasco bt 6-Filip Krajinovic (SRB) 7-5, 4-6, 6-0; Pierre-Hugues Herbert (FRA) bt 5-Laslo Djere (SRB) 6-1, 6-3; Miomir Kechmanovic (SRB) bt 3-Jo-Wilfried Tsonga 7-6 (11-9), 6-1; Q-Corentin Moutet (FRA) beats 4-Milos Raonic (CAN) 7-6 (4), 7-6 (4)
Doubles (Quarter-finals)
Frederik Nielsen (DEN) & Tim Puetz (GER) bt 1-Mate Pavic (CRO) & Bruno Soares (BRA) 4-6, 6-2, 10-7; 2-Henri Kontinen (FIN) & Franko Skugor (CRO) bt Ken Skupski & Neil Skupski (GBR) 6-7 (2), 6-4, 13-11; 3-Rohan Bopanna (IND) & Wesley Koolhof (NED) bt Stanislas Wawrinka (SUI) & Frances Tiafoe (USA) 6-3, 6-4; Luke Bambridge (GBR) & Santiago Gonzalez (MEX) bt 4-Fabrice Martin (FRA) & Jeremy Chardy (FRA) 6-3, 7-6 (9-7).


Today’s Order of Play
Centre Court (starts at 3:30pm)
 Q-Marton Fucsovics (HUN) vs Miomir Kecmanovic (SRB)
 Pierre-Hugues Herber (FRA) vs 2- Andrey Rublev (RUS)
 1-Stan Wawrinka (SUI) vs Aljaz Bedene (SLO)
 Q-Corentin Moutet (FRA) vs Fernando Verdasco (ESP)
Court 1 (starts at 3:30pm)
 3-Rohan Bopanna (IND)/Wesley Koolhof (NED) vs 2-Henri Kontinen (FIN)/Franko Skugor (CRO)
Court 2 (starts at 3:30pm)
 Frederik Nielsen (DEN)/Tim Puetz (GER) vs Luke Bambridge (GBR)/Santiago Gonzalez (MEX)