No one would relish the challenge of facing Maxime Cressy come Australian Open 2022. Any one whose been assigned the task of getting past Cressy will have to be focussed and on the top of their top game throughout which is easier said than done. Apart from a few top players who are adept at reading big servers, Cressy will be a worthy opponent at the first Grand Slam of the season.
Maxime Cressy is a Threat at the Australian Open
Strong Start To 2022
The American started off 2022 in the perfect fashion. Cressy had to qualify for the ATP Melbourne Summer Set and he absolutely capitalised on the chance by reaching the final. Beating the likes of Reilly Opelka and Grigor Dimitrov shouldn’t come as a surprise to anyone when you consider the quality of serve and volleying Cressy brings to the court. Perhaps the most refreshing to see was the way he handled clutch moments and not deviate from his game style even when it wasn’t working.
Throughout the week, the American posted great numbers on serve and his volley was crisp and decisive. The Melbourne courts looks slightly quicker than previous years and that should suit players like Cressy. Last year he lost to Alexander Zverev in straight sets but focusing just on the first set indicates that his game can go head to head with one of the world’s best baseline players and returners. That should’ve inspired Cressy at that time and the week he’s had here should motivate him even more that his game has certainly improved since 2021.
While his game can look crazy to many watching him for the first time, watching him closely suggests he really thinks before approaching the net and where to serve according to the player.
How far can he go realistically?
Cressy does deserve all the praise for the performance this week but the American would know exactly which type of players he needs to beat if he’s to reach the second week of a Grand Slam. Reaching the second week should be the first realistic checkpoint in mind for Cressy because in all likelihood he’ll face his game style nemesis by then. Players of the ilk of Novak Djokovic, Daniil Medvedev, Rafael Nadal, and Alexander Zverev.
He took on one of them in the final on Sunday and it did expose how vulnerable Cressy can be if he doesn’t land a first meaningful volley. Top players are separated by the mid tier players by way of their anticipation and focus. Two things that are critical in beating a big server.
All is not lost for Cressy because he does have players he can look up to who have been successful in beating these players with an attacking net play. Dustin Brown did it a couple times and so did Milos Raonic who improved his baseline game to have the fallback when playing superior returners of the game. The American does possess a decent baseline attacking game and if he’s open to improving that, it’ll only propel him upwards.
It’ll definitely be a welcome change in men’s tennis to be dominated by a net player once again and Cressy could maybe be the harbinger of change.
It’ll be tough but you’ll never know until you try to do it. Maxime Cressy is courageous enough to employ a throwback strategy throughout his career and the first reward is a direct appearance in the main draw of the 2022 Australian Open.
Main Photo from Getty.
