[RonaldGomez]

I just noticed that some top 300 players had a terrible start of season so far. What can explain these results ?

For example Gimeno-Traver is 1-6 this season with just a win over Brizzi (#405) this week in Rabat challenger. He lost recently against Marti, Schwartzman, Olaso. Last season he was 0-9 and just gained his first win in Monte Carlo in April.

Machado is 0-7 but I read he has some wrist issues.

Ilhan is 3-8 without a single win in a main draw. His only wins came against Begemann, Hajek and Brkic in Davis Cup. Last year he also started with a 0-8 record.

In the challenger level, Klaasen is 0-5 this season, and 0-11 including the last months of 2011.

Ciric is 0-6 and hasn't won a single set since February. Last year he was 1-7 in his first months of challenger matchs.

Have you another examples ?

 

[Filo V.]

DGT had injury issues to begin the season, but now he just simply lacks confidence. I believe Ciric has also had injury issues, but he really isn't a good player.

Ricardo Mello has lost 40+ ranking spots this season. Brands has won two matches, both in the same tournament, over players outside the top 200, and is a 2-7 on the season. Arnau Brugues-Davi is 3-8 on the season.

 

[Filo V.]

Injuries often times plays a factor in these results, especially for the players who are generally successful who are having horrible results.

 

[n8]

I'm a bit worried about Stakhovsky and Montanes. Stakhovsky is 5-8 but his second highest ranked win was 246. Montanes is 2-6 and hasn't beaten a top 100 although he is injured. Bogomolov, who lost to Stakhovsky in Indian Wells, seems to be reverting back to the player he was 12 months ago.

 

[Filo V.]

If you look at Bogo's results, you'll see he hasn't really beaten anyone good yet. He has wins over Troicki and Haase, two other players struggling. He's just overranked, though. His run actually started during the fall of 2010 in challengers, he just carried that into 2011. He's being exposed now that he's at the top level.

Dodig is another, his best and only really good win was in Memphis where he saved several match points to beat Tomic. So he's still got fight in him, but outside of that, there are not a lot of good wins or wins at all on his scorecard since beating Nadal in Montreal. Now he's on the verge of falling from the top 100.

 

[Snowwy]

Pospisil and Dancevic usually have slow starts as well.

 

[Filo V.]

With Montanes, it's hard to know if it's injuries or a straight decline with him. He's been off and on injured for a while, but he's also playing terribly. Is it because his game is off or is it because he's been hurt? We'll probably find out during the Euro clay season.

 

[Thunderfish8]

Donald Young has had slow and pathetic start. 2-6 on the year so far.
Only wins coming against #248 Gojowczyk and #83 Dimitrov

Gojowczyk took him to 5 sets (despite Young winning the first two)
Dimitrov had that epic choke in the third set tiebreak in Memphis after Young double faulted on match point.

So his two wins have been extreme struggles.

 

[RonaldGomez]

A little update

Ciric is now 0-9 after his loss today against junior #607 Sorgi in Santos.
Machado on the other hand isn't winless anymore, with a 3-setter victory against Donskoy. He's 1-9.
Young is 2-9 after a disastrous US spring, and two matchs of clay.
DGT 4-10 after some wins in challenger and qualies, but confidence isn't here obviously.
And outside his 3 wins in Davis Cup against player ranked much lower, Ilhan is 3-9.

 

[Filo V.]

Marsel said he was injured in the leg, I believe. Personally, I think he just has severe confidence problems, as does Gimeno, who cannot hold leads whatsoever.

Ciric I read wasn't 100% (which I said a month ago in this very thread ), so he's either playing injured and losing R1 everywhere, but I think he basically just isn't a good player and is overranked, and cannot hang at the challenger level. Today he was actually competitive in his match but it was against an 18 year old ranked #607.