Adrian Mannarino is Novak Djokovic’s next opponent at the Australian Open.
And Adrian Mannarino may be the only person who doesn’t know it.
That’s right; Mannarino does not look at draws. He never has and he never will. Not when a draw comes out; not when he wins to earn his place in the next round; not even when he is preparing for his upcoming match. Not ever.
How long before a match does the 35-year-old generally find out who he will see on the other side of the net?
“It depends,” Mannarino said following his five-set win over Ben Shelton in the Australian Open third round on Friday evening. “I always try to keep it as long as I can because I just don’t want to think too much. But let’s say in average it’s about an hour before.”
But sometimes–gasp!–it’s more than an hour.
Before facing Shelton he accidentally saw the matchup when he was eating in the players’ restaurant and looking at a screen to see when and where fellow Frenchmen Nicolas Mahut and Edouard Roger-Vasselin would be playing their doubles match. Prior to his second-round match against Jaume Munar (which Mannarino also won in five sets), he found out in a taxi on the way to Melbourne Park that morning.
“My driver who drove me in the morning just wanted to be nice,” Mannarino explained. “[He said] ‘good luck against Mr. Munar.'”
A clearly disgruntled Mannarino added, “I was like, ‘I don’t need to know.’
“But people don’t really know (that I don’t want to know) sometimes. It’s okay.”
Such a blissfully ignorant mentality does make at least some sense when you consider Mannarino’s approach to preparation. His practices are not impacted one iota by whoever his opponent will be in his next match. Even if he accidentally finds out who it is, he still won’t prepare for that specific player.
After beating Shelton, Mannarino was asked if he would ever change his practice strategy if he knew beforehand that he would be playing against a fellow lefty–like Shelton–or someone else with a unique game style such as a huge server like John Isner or a serve-and-volleyer like Maxime Cressy.
“No, not at all,” Mannarino said without hesitation. “I don’t think I need to prepare (in a) special (way) for these kind of matches. Many players like to [practice] with lefty before playing a lefty, practicing with a righty before playing a righty. I just think that’s bullshit…. They want everything to be perfect. For me, (it) doesn’t really matter.”
What matters a lot is something else that makes Mannarino unique: string tension.
The Soisy-sous-Montmorency native is also well known to play with the lowest tension on the professional circuit. At the Australian Open he is reportedly playing with his rackets strung at 24 pounds. If you think that’s low (most players are in the 40s or 50s; some even exceed 60), consider this: after picking up a Davis Cup win over Switzerland’s Dominic Stricker last fall, Mannarino revealed that he played the match with a racket strung at 19 pounds.
In an era when many players are wearing skin-tight shirts paired with shorts that would make even Andre Agassi blush, Mannarino’s strings are almost as loose as his baggy, basic, and blank attire.
Despite being ranked a career-high No. 19 in the world and owning five ATP titles, he plays without any noticeable clothing sponsor. There was a brief period when Mannarino was sponsored by Hyrdrogen and he was part of the gang that sported lightning bolts and skulls all over their clothes. Now–and this probably the way he likes it–there aren’t any bolts, there aren’t any skulls, and there aren’t any anything else. It’s just Mannarino looking like he quickly swiped a couple of cloth coverings from the local Goodwill on his way to the courts.
There is no more rhyme or reason to Mannarino’s wardrobe than there is to his practices. He doesn’t want to think about outfits; he doesn’t want to think about opponents. He really doesn’t want to think at all.
Maybe that’s why he is playing the best tennis of his life–by far–at 35 years old.
“What’s the key to getting better when you are supposed to be ‘too old,'” Mannarino was asked in his on-court interview on Friday.
“I started tequila,” he joked. “That helps to not think too much. You just keep going. Sometimes you need to clear your brain and stop thinking about the past. You just keep going. Don’t look back. Just go.”
Where is Adrian Mannarino going? To Rod Laver Arena, of course, for a showdown against the No. 1 player in the world.
But Adrian Mannarino doesn’t know that.
most underrated player on tour, too
Are you gay?
The above is fake Wog Boy so please delete him.
Does Adrian think about his next haircut before going into the Barber?
Dont think, just play .Good attitude .
Nice article. Agree with Ricky. he’s a very interesting player to watch too.
Yes,in an old school kind of way .
I like his slice serve and flat forehand combo .
Peter Tosh song: “Keep on walkin’….don’t look back”……
Do people really believe in what he is saying about not knowing who is his opponent until the match or right before the match or not checking the draw?!
Do you want to give him any more assistance
My mum is onr of the nicest people you will every meet.
Guess what she says when Djokovic is on TV?
Oh, I can’t stand Djokovic, change the channel.
But here you are giving him an advantage over the rest of the tour.
Give yourselves a pat on the back, you stand for nothing.
Too good Djokovic, you win. Too good.
I agree, he’s too good. AO #11 is a forgone conclusion.
Adrian’s “interesting” game melted like wax in the Australian sun.
No kidding – do you know who reads every post here?
Do everyone a favor and stop supporting evil the world.