Final Brit is knocked out of Wimbledon as controversial 18-year-old Anton Matusevich is beaten in boys’ singles quarter-final… the day after he knocked out world No 1 having slated him by saying: ‘The guy has no life’
- Shintaro Mochizuki beat Anton Matusevich 6-3, 6-3 in boys’ singles quarter-final
- The 18-year-old was the last Briton standing in the men’s junior tournament
- Britain have no juniors left in singles after Matilda Mutavdzic also lost in girls’
- Matusevich beat boys’ world No 1 Holger Rune in the third round
- Before the match he said of Rune: ‘The guy has no life, he just plays tennis every bloody day’
Anton Matusevich, Britain’s last remaining hope at Wimbledon, has lost his boys’ singles quarter-final after an entertaining tournament in which he criticised the world No 1 and admitted he sometimes stops trying in return games he is likely to lose.
The 18-year-old, who knocked top seed Holger Rune out in the previous round, could not follow that up and was beaten 6-3, 6-3 by Japanese eighth seed Shintaro Mochizuki.
Last year the grade seven pianist declared that he was his own idol, but rowed back this year by naming his grandfather, the mathematician Leonhard Euler, and the composer Johann Sebastian Bach as inspirations.
Anton Matusevich was knocked out 6-3, 6-3 by Japanese eighth seed Shintaro Mochizuki
Before his third round match against Dane Rune, Matusevich had taken a swipe against the world No 1’s dedication to the sport.
He told Sportsmail before the match: ‘He is one of the strongest guys in the draw. The guy has no life, he just plays tennis every bloody day. He is just going to make so many balls, lock in every point, he’s got nothing in his life apart from tennis to do.
‘All I see on Instagram is him feeding a bunch of balls. The guy is good at tennis, you’ve got to give him credit for that, but I’ll try to mentally get in his head, that is the key.’
Matusevich stretches to reach the ball durinh his win over Gauthier Onclin on Monday
The teenager also admitted he would occasionally stop trying if he found himself 40-0 down in a return game, daving his energy for the next one.
He said: ‘I am actually pretty tired so I mean on some games, even yesterday, if I feel like I wasn’t actually going to take a serve, when I was like 40-0 down, I was like ‘OK let’s just let him have the game’ and I’ll just focus on my serve.’
Matusevich, who is predicted to earn two A*s and an A in his A Levels in Maths, Further Maths and Economics, has also shunned some common rituals among other tennis stars.
He told Sportsmail: ‘I don’t believe in ice baths. Cold water, so what? I don’t think it helps at all. I just stretch and roll and get a massage.’
Matusevich will now turn his attention to men’s tennis, with plans to play two 25k events in the next couple of weeks.
‘I think I am playing two tournaments in the next few weeks, then get to grind the men’s tour,’ he said.
‘It is just more professional, you have guys who fight for every point, there are guys who have been on tour who keep fighting and it is just getting that process.
‘I am going to treat it as my job, do it properly and see where it takes me.’
Matusevich will now turn his attentions to playing professional men’s tennis
Matusevich is planning on enjoying some down time in the next couple of days as he recovers from a hectic period.
‘I haven’t really trained properly for three weeks and I can still beat these guys. That is the main positive,’ he added.
‘I just came out of A-Levels after revising for three months, I haven’t played a single junior tournament this year and I had a pretty good two weeks. I am not too fussed about losing today.
‘It was crazy, I just try to come in and forget about it.
‘All the guys who came out of school saying they were relaxed, that wasn’t me, I have gone straight to the grind.
‘I finished my last exam and the next day I was training for three hours. I like working, though.’
Share this article
Source: Read Full Article