Getting to Know Lukasz Kubot: The Latest Threat to the World’s Top 50
February 8, 2010 · Print This Article
Making the successful transition from the doubles circuit to the singles court on the ATP World Tour can become a next to impossible feat.
Often times, those players who reside on the doubles circuit do not possess the adequate skill-set or power quotient in their games to consistently challenge the world’s best singles players. As a result, childhood dreams of winning Wimbledon or capturing the US Open quickly fade away and are replaced with earning a living and covering expenses.
However, there are have been a few instances on the men’s circuit when a player, who primarily competes on the doubles circuit, has successfully made a name for himself while competing in singles competition.
Meet Lukasz Kubot.
Improving his ranking from No. 209 in the world at the beginning of last year, to his current spot of No. 56 on the computer, took much more than wishful thinking from the Polish native. Knowing that in order to give his singles career a shot, the commitment would have to be set forth to participate in the tedious qualifying rounds which consume the prior weekend of main draw action.
Traveling the world over through doubles competition, Kubot was dealt a potential blow to his ego when he was relegated to taking part on the Challenger circuit. Not the most prestigious of events, the Challenger circuit provides no ball-boys on court; no line challenges; no towels, and perhaps worst of all forces players to flip their own scorecards.
Gaining an upper echelon singles ranking would involve taking a step back and playing the minor leagues on a consistent basis—a road Kubot was more than happy to take.
Would all the hard work be worth it for Kubot, considering he was ranked No. 11 in the world in doubles?
Diligently building up his ranking, Kubot finally made his first main draw in Costa do Saupie in Brazil. Falling in the second round to Thomaz Bellucci (a competent clay-court player) Kubot maintained hope that his skill-set could shine beyond the doubles court. Continuing to plug away in the qualifying rounds during upcoming events, Kubot’s next big break came during the inaugural Serbian Open.
Hosted by none other than Novak Djokovic, Kubot would produce some of his best tennis to date in qualifying and reaching the finals. Defeating Igor Andreev and Ivo Karlovic along the way, Kubot saw his fairytale run end in a close straight-set final to Djokovic.
Gaining considerable confidence from making his maiden ATP World Tour final, Kubot continued his journey through the qualifying stages of events, reaching the main draw on six occasions. Highlighted by his first-round win over Andy Roddick in Beijing, Kubot had solidified his name as a formidable contender.
It’s important to note that Kubot continued to pour in stellar doubles results while building up his singles ranking—capturing three doubles titles on the season, while making the elite eight at the London finale. With a year-end singles ranking of No. 101, Kubot could finally shed his doubles label and be known as a singles player playing doubles, and not as a doubles player who can’t play singles.
A little luck never hurt anyone, and Kubot would soon find that fortune in the new season. Adding to his breakthrough year, Kubot began 2010 by reaching the quarterfinals in Qatar (l. Viktor Troicki), and by advancing to the fourth-round at the Australian Open (l. Djokovic). Receiving a walkover win in the third-round of Melbourne against Mikhail Youzhny, Kubot’s fourth round finish would raise his ranking more than 30 spots.
All great players or aspiring champions have historically received a degree of good fortune along their roads to success. For Kubot, his third-round walkover over Youzhny was indeed that added degree of luck that was necessary.
Although Kubot is still unknown to the general public, the locker-room buzz around the 27-year-old has increased. Holding a current rank of No. 56 in the world, Kubot is guaranteed direct entrance into the year’s remaining three Grand Slam events, while holding enough points to solidify his place in the upcoming Masters 1000 fields.
After a year in which Kubot has seen his ranking and economic status improve on Tour, the Lubin resident returns to Brazil this week—the event which begin his singles dream last year—not in the qualifying draw, but as a main draw contender.
If anything, Kubot has proved throughout the past year that hard work and a crafty doubles game can be transformed into a viable force on the singles circuit.
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