Ernests cracks ATP Top 40

- Ernests has recorded a new career-high ranking as his exploits in Cincinnati propelled him to #38 in the latest set of world rankings published this Monday. He earned 125 ranking points from his quarterfinal run in Cincinnati, but will drop 20 points next week as last year’s Rogers Cup points are removed from the records. Ernests eliminated the seventh-seeded James Blake in the third round of Cincinnati, before falling in straight sets to an inspired Novak Djokovic in the quarterfinal.

His Cincinnati success is an encouraging omen after his preparations in the lead-up to the US Open was disrupted by a sprained ankle – an injury picked up, of all times, while playing football with his friends in Latvia.

“What can you say?” Ernests said. “I really love football. But it was really bad accident because nobody hit me on purpose or something like that. Nothing like that happened. It was really just unlucky.”

The injury was serious enough to cause him to withdraw from the Swedish Open in Båstad at the last minute. He returned to Latvia and enjoyed a period of solid rest – “I was pretty tired emotionally after Wimbledon” – but the lack of physical preparation caught up with him during his first round match in Toronto two weeks later.

He was up 5*-1 in the final set, yet managed to lose despite having the opportunity to serve for the match twice. It is a devastating loss to digest, but Ernests was level-headed enough to accept that concentration is his Achilles’ heel.

“I’m pretty much working on (being mentally stronger) right now with my coach,” he said. “It will not go eventually away if you do nothing.”

Ernests now heads to Beijing as part of the Latvian contingent of atheletes for the 2008 Olympic Games. He is the only Latvian to qualify for the tennis event, which will run from August 10-17.

~ by Zahirah on August 4, 2008.