"It would have been very dangerous at the ATP Finals, I still have a lot of confidence"

At 28 years old, the tennis world already considers Karen Khachanov as a well-known face in the elite of our sport. His early breakthrough, with good results at a very young age, raised a ceiling that he has broken several times, with great performances in Grand Slams (semifinals in Australia and New York) and that magical week in Paris-Bercy 2018, where he defeated Djokovic to claim his first and only Masters 1000 to date.

That tournament is far behind, but since then the Russian has made consistency, solidity, and strength three essential characteristics to rank among the top twenty or thirty players in the world. Additionally, he combines this with moments of peak performance that signal his ceiling is even higher, such as the end of the past season, where he was champion in Almaty, finalist in Vienna, and semifinalist in Paris. He didn't make it in time for the ATP Finals, but Karen warns: if he reaches that level of confidence, he poses a threat to anyone.

"I really enjoyed the end of 2024, winning many matches. Honestly, I wanted to keep playing! I didn't qualify for the ATP Finals, but if I had, I would have been very dangerous there", Karen stated to TENNIS, finishing the season ranked 15th in the world. However, 2025 hasn't been kind to him: after his third round in Australia, yesterday's victory against Evans in his debut at the 2025 ATP Dubai allowed him to break a streak of three consecutive losses. What are his aspirations now?

CONFIDENCE, INTACT

"I just want to accumulate as many matches as possible to find this rhythm and level. You can be prepared physically, mentally ready... but you need to go out there and win. Once you start winning, you may feel the ball better, train even better, feel the points better. It was a shame to play against Daniil last week (in Doha). It was a tough match for both of us; we would have liked to face another opponent. However, with the level I showed, I can go far here and achieve a better result."

Dubai aims to be the tournament that allows him to resurge, achieve his first significant result of 2025, and prove that Karen Khachanov still has a lot to offer in the ATP circuit. "I always trust in what I am capable of, go out there to fight, believe in myself". His next encounter, against Stefanos Tsitsipas, could provide further clues as to whether the Russian remains a differential factor in the coming months.

This news is an automatic translation. You can read the original news, "Hubiese sido muy peligroso en las ATP Finals, sigo teniendo mucha confianza"