Two years ago, Yosuke Watanuki played a tight three-set match against Frances Tiafoe at the Miami Open presented by Itau. Little did the Japanese player know that encounter would prove important beyond the scoreline.
On Sunday, Watanuki will take on Tiafoe again in the third round of the BNP Paribas Open. Notably, the man who coached Tiafoe that day in Miami, former World No. 6 Wayne Ferreira, is trialing as Watanuki’s coach.
“When I played in Miami against Frances he was the coach there. I saw him there in the coaches’ box and I didn’t talk to him much after that, but I really liked how he watched the matches,” Watanuki told ATPTour.com. “He’s a chill guy, very serious, but chill and looks like a nice guy. I asked people from the Japanese Association… they texted Wayne-san, I got the number and then I called.”
While Ferreira is not yet Watanuki’s official coach — their trial is taking place in Indian Wells and Miami — they are off to a good start. Watanuki lost just eight games in two qualifying matches, defeated Alexander Bublik in three sets in the first round and advanced past Acapulco champion Tomas Machac in the second round when the Czech retired due to illness.
“I’m happy with him in this moment,” Watanuki said of the South African.
Big runs are key for Watanuki, who is currently No. 349 in the PIF ATP Rankings. The Japanese missed more than six months last season due to tendinitis in his left knee.
“At the start of the year, the first match in Australia I got an injury in my knee and I tried to stay [playing] a little bit. I played Australian Open and Davis Cup, but it was getting worse and then I stopped after Los Cabos. It was quite long, it was tough,” Watanuki said. “For me a really big part [of my goals for the year] was the Olympic Games. I really wanted to play and that was also last year. It was quite tough. I couldn’t play, I couldn’t try because I didn’t play tournaments. That was the most tough situation for me.”
After the US Open, Watanuki returned to action despite still being in a little bit of pain. This Indian Wells effort is his best performance since returning.
One thing astute fans have noticed is the former World No. 72’s unique serve. Not only is his preparation eye-catching, but the Japanese player also brings his right foot in front of his left before launching towards the ball.
“I try to figure out [how to make my serve] more better, better, better, better, better, and now it’s something like that,” a smiling Watanuki said about his serve. “My left leg is not strong enough. My right leg is much stronger.
“I’m not super tall, especially on the ATP Tour, 180 [centimetres] is quite short. But still I want to play better [on the] serve and forehand, so I try for more power and that’s the reason I want to use the power from the right leg.”
At last year's Rolex Shanghai Masters, Watanuki made the third round as a qualifier. Now the four-time ATP Challenger Tour champion will try to advance one step further when he plays Tiafoe in their second Lexus ATP Head2Head meeting.
“I really enjoy the moment every time and am really happy, especially in the U.S. in the big event in Indian Wells,” Watanuki said. “I really enjoy every moment and every match makes me happy and I want to keep [playing] here. I’m not sure how long I can still be here, but I just want to enjoy every moment.”
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