Janecek bows out early at Rolex Indoors
By Chris Isidro
Robert Janecek went to Dallas in search for answers. But after
dropping two matches at the Rolex National Indoor Tournament, he is
only saddled with more questions.
The top Bruin netter drew No. 4 Damon Henkel, who upset him at
the All-American Tournament in October. Janecek, however, could not
avenge his earlier defeat, losing handily 6-3, 6-4.
"I was happy when I saw the draw because I thought I could get a
little revenge," Janecek said. "But I’m really struggling right now
and I just didn’t make much of the opportunities I had in the
match."
The consolation bracket did not provide much solace for
22nd-ranked Janecek as No. 18 Fredrik Giers of Tulane evened their
match at one set apiece before a sour stomach forced the Bruin
senior to withdraw.
Janecek ran his losing streak to four matches, and in that run,
has not played well. Lacking faith in his game, Janecek feels he is
pressing too hard and making too many errors.
"I think I’m going for shots I shouldn’t be going for because I
don’t have the confidence right now," he said. "I’m just going for
the winner too quickly instead of being patient and setting up the
point."
"His movement is not speedy and his consistency is not real
great," UCLA head coach Billy Martin said. "Taking the last half of
the summer off and not really working hard in the fall has really
caught up to him."
However, Martin realizes Janecek’s importance in UCLA’s national
title hopes and feels his senior star will be ready when the
matches become critical.
"We’d like him playing well as soon as possible, but at the end
of the year is when we need him to peak," he said. "I still don’t
doubt that he will play good tennis in April and May."
Janecek still finds some positives about his current woes.
"The last couple weeks, I’ve been working hard on my game and I
think if I just keep doing that, it will give me confidence
mentally," he said. "And it’s better to lose now than later."