With six hours on court in the space of two days against some of the top 10 players and after more than six years of waiting for a second Masters final, Khachanov had a great ten days in Toronto. Only Ben Shelton's brilliance and consistency in the decisive moments stopped Karen from winning the second 1000 of his career. What's more during the tournament, our ambassador beat Ruud for the first time in a professional match. He also took revenge on Mickelsen for his defeat at the Australian Open, and won against Alexander Zverev for the first time since 2019.
This summer, Khachanov demonstrated a mature, exciting game play and a sincere desire to win among the best. The addition of Evgeny Donskoy to the team alongside the experienced Vedran Martic and Jose Clavet was definitely a positive move. Karen has undoubtedly improved physically, and he's honed his tactics against specific opponents, taking them to a new level. Khachanov skillfully neutralised Shelton with deep shots and heavy backhands, and in the decisive match his approaches to the net paid off handsomely. Volleys are rightly called the Achilles heel for Russian players, but Khachanov was able to avoid problems in the final after taking the lead. Even though Ben's fervour in the decisive moments stopped Khachanov short, the latter has taken a huge step forward since their match in Indian Wells. Even the newly-crowned Masters champion himself noted the strength of his opponent's blows, comparing him to a freight train barreling down on him in the final.
For Khachanov, an experienced tennis player at this stage of his career who has already made it to two Grand Slam semi-finals, it's now crucial that he tune into his coaching team and his own body. He needs to find a balance that leads to a quality season from start to finish. By "quality", what I mean is the absence of stress fractures like in his mid-2023 season, and a drive to achieve more than ever before. Karen also isn't afraid to experiment on the court or in training, especially in search of the best equipment.
The First & Red ambassador continues to rise up the ATP rankings after the Toronto final and is now in 12th place. For the first time in over six years, Khachanov has pulled ahead of Medvedev, and is only 45 points away from his coveted return to the top 10. If things go in his favour, he could be in the top 10 after Cincinnati. All the strongest players except Djokovic, Draper, and Bublik have arrived for another ten days at the Masters, but their main focus remains on the US Open starting at the end of August.
