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Sijsling depressed over poor form

The Dutch player is on a run of six defeats and has admitted to feeling 'lost' after the US Open, and last week he even refused a call from the national team captain. Mathieu played in the final of a challenger in Luxembourg last week. He lost due to an umpire decision, but his mood got better after he received a wild card for Metz

The story of Mathieu's private problems is well-known. His life partner is struggling with a serious disease and the French player has made mention of how hard it is for him to concentrate on tennis because of that. He has spoken less of this issue recently - it's hard to say whether this means the situation is better or worse - but he looked very motivated last week. He came to Petange to defend points and succeeded, but ended the tournament on a rather nervous note. He lost in the final again to Kamke, despite having a good start to the match as he left the German at just one game in the first set, but then completely went off course at 5-5 in the third set. One point that was a bad call completely disrupted his concentration. He lost his serve, and then the entire match a couple of minutes later.

- It hurts that the outcome of the match depends on line umpires in the end. We are professional, and key decisions are made by amateurs - Mathieu was frustrated after the defeat, but then he received consolation in the form of a wild card for Metz:

Even though he is currently ranked 75th, Sijsling is going through a deep crisis. It's not only that he has six losses in a row, it's the way he lost those matches. He seemed disinterested on court against Harrison and Sock and blamed it on his success in the doubles, saying it took too much energy from him. It's an excuse that is hard to swallow, as doubles last much shorter now that the new rules have been introduced. He had a good draw at the US Open but failed there as well. Afterwards, he opened up his soul:

- I didn't have a good attitude. I was very poor mentally and I played that way. I put my head down to early. It's like I don't know how to get a point anymore. I have no confidence and that's why I back out, and that's not my tennis.

He had a chance to lift his spirits in the Davis Cup. He would have certainly played the doubles, and perhaps even a single. the captain asked him to change his mind. He gave him two days, but Sijsling's decision stayed the same. The national team boss was unwilling to comment, but his compatriot Haase offered his opinion:

- I wanted him to play too, we know how important he is to the team. However, he told me he wasn't good enough and that going from hardcourt to clay would only make it worse. I can understand him.

The Dutchman has already been eliminated from the doubles. Berlocq and he won only five games against a strong local combination. Mathieu has struggled with depression this season, but it seems that the Dutch player has far more problems in that respect now.

Mathieu and Sijsling are in completely different situations now. Mathieu gained a lot of self-confidence during the last two weeks at home challengers, playing one semi-finals and indoor finals last week. He is here by invitation. Sijsling is playing well in indoor conditions, but his tennis is in a major crisis. He admitted to that after six losses in a row, and he opened his soul. He said he felt like he didn't know how to play anymore. He was supposed to play in the Davis Cup but he refused because he wasn't mentally ready. He was already eliminated in the doubles tournament here and I don't believe he will start playing better. The bet would be stronger if Mathieu didn't have a bad score at ATP tournaments this year, but we know the reason for that. He dropped one level in the last weeks, and that tactics already worked prior to Nice where he reached the ATP quarter-finals.