Sometimes, even if you like the guy, it’s not such a terrible thing to watch Ernests Gulbis lose. It just makes sense. Today was not one of those days. Gulbis’ quick two-set defeat at the hands of Novak Djokovic offered very little in the way of entertainment. Even his racquet spikes were more desultory than comical. They failed to bring so much as a rueful smile to this fan's face.
The tennis season is long, and Gulbis has been unable to sustain the brief momentum he built on European clay in the spring. A hamstring injury in Paris brought that to a halt, and if anything he’s traveled in the other direction since. One good game is now followed by two bad ones. Today Gulbis broke Djokovic to get to 4-5 in the first set, then immediately dumped a routine forehand into the net to go down 15-40. He was eventually broken. The second set went quickly. The promise of February, when Gulbis won his first title, in Delray, with new coach Hernan Gumy, has vanished, and he’ll likely be starting from scratch again when 2011 begins. For the moment, his potential lies more deeply buried than ever.
—Steve Tignor