Having the glamorous Ana Ivanovic as a girlfriend would provide ample motivation for most.
But third-seeded Spaniard Fernando Verdasco admitted his thoughts were far from the darling of women’s tennis when he was searching for inspiration in his tough Brisbane International quarterfinal on Thursday.
World No.16 Verdasco, 25, conceded he had to dig deep to hold out resurgent Frenchman Florent Serra 4-6 6-0 6-3 in a clash that lasted almost two hours at Pat Rafter Arena.
However, it was the thought of his starring role in Spain’s 2008 Davis Cup final win over Argentina that got him over the line – not his high-profile squeeze.
Verdasco is a Davis Cup hero in Spain after clinching a thrilling five-set singles victory over Jose Acasuso that sealed a 3-1 win over hosts Argentina.
The Brisbane International is his first ATP tournament since his career high – so there were no prizes for guessing where his thoughts turned when Serra applied the blowtorch on Thursday.
“I think the Davis Cup [win] will be on my mind all my life,” he said.
“That tie against Argentina was the most important in my career.
“When I was playing today I was thinking in the tough moments ‘I can come back’.
“I had come back in the Davis Cup so I thought ‘why can’t I come back today’. Those positive thoughts really helped.”
But life wasn’t all beer and skittles for Verdasco in 2008.
He admitted he started the year playing with “the worst feelings”, and disappointing results followed.
However, he turned it around to finish in the world top 20 for the first time.
Staying positive has been a breeze of late for Verdasco, especially since hooking up with Ivanovic four months ago.
“When you have confidence everything is easier. And when you have it you must try not to lose it … now I have it I want to keep it as long as I can,” Verdasco said.
While Ivanovic is the undisputed poster girl of women’s tennis, Verdasco is also doing his best to turn heads off court.
He posed nude for Cosmopolitan magazine in the July 2008 issue to raise cancer awareness for men.
It may have also done the trick for raising Ivanovic’s awareness – they were an item two months later.
Verdasco surprisingly conceded the first set on Thursday after being broken in the ninth game by world No.60 Serra.
But that only seemed to spur on the Spaniard as he cruised through the second set in just 26 minutes.
Serra, 27, saved two break points in the fourth game of the third set before quickly turning the tables on Verdasco.
The Spaniard scrambled to save two break points in the fifth game, the last with an incredible overhead lob that kissed the baseline – much to Serra’s amazement.
Verdasco broke in the next game to go ahead 4-2 and didn’t look back.
Today’s results, Thursday 9 January
Men’s singles quarterfinal
[3] Fernando Verdasco (ESP) d Florent Serra (FRA) 4-6 6-0 6-3
Women’s singles quarterfinal
[2] Victoria Azarenka (BLR) d Lucie Safarova (CZE) 7-6(5) 6-4
Sara Errani d Olga Govortsova 6-3 6-3
Women’s doubles quarterfinal
Anna-Lena Groenefeld/Vania King (GER/USA) d Alona Bondarenko/Kateryna Bondarenko 6-1 6-3 (UKR)
Women’s doubles semifinal
Klaudia Jans/Alicja Rosoloska (POL) d Daniela Hantuchova/Ai Sugiyama (SVK/JPN) 6-3 6-4
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