Analysis for Youzhny-Recouderc (ATP Rotterdam)

Head-to-head record 0:0

French qualifier Laurent Recouderc will face Russian matador Michael Youzhny in the opening round. Youzhny is an experienced player whose biggest weakness is probably mental stamina. He has a unique backhand, in which he mainly hits one-handed, but also has somewhat of a hybrid reminiscent to that of Bjorn Borg. Youzhny at times will follow through his backhand with both hands, but with only his right hand on his racket. Even so, many consider his backhand to be his best shot. From both sides, Youzhny hits the ball on the rise, achieving a flatter trajectory. His service, judged to be lacking power or consistency, is arguably the weakest component of his game, though improvement here has been perceived. He has a good court sense and often makes use of dropshots. Youzhny has a reputation for engaging the crowd, subsequently taking inspiration from it to attempt high-risk winners, especially when facing matchpoints. Youzhny has belonged among the world top players for a long time but his last season was horrific. He dropped out of top 50 and this year he continues in what he began in 2008. He won just 1 out of 4 matches while his opponents weren´t the top players. Now he will face dangerous French qualifiers and we are curious about his performance. Recouderc spent the first years of his career on the Junior Circuit, beating players like Tomáš Berdych, Robin Soderling, and Jo-Wilfried Tsonga. He has spent his professional career primarily on the Challenger and Future circuits, although he had the opportunity to play in the 2007 French Open, where he defeated American Sam Querrey in five sets before going down to Novak Dokovic in four sets. Those were probably his best matches on ATP circuit but he is still relatively young player and we are sure he hasn’t said the last word yet. He now plays in a solid shape and odds above 2.5 against crushed opponent can be taken here.