Zen and the art of Karen Khachanov

RESURGENT VET RIDING HIGH AFTER TORONTO RUN

By Richard Osborn

There were plenty of feel-good vibes in the air during the National Bank Open Presented by Rogers trophy ceremony in Toronto. Runner-up Karen Khachanov was quick to prop first-time ATP Masters 1000 titlist Ben Shelton and his family, deeming them “great,” “polite” and “educated.” For his part, Shelton praised the player he dubbed a “gentle giant,” saying, “Not many people in the world can hit the ball like that. I’m glad to see you back again knocking on the door for Top 10. Whether you’re on a hot streak or losing matches, you’re always the same kind guy.”

The 6-foot-6 Khachanov, who set a new standard for the biggest gap between ATP Masters 1000 finals, six years, nine months and three days after he upset Top-10 foes John Isner, Alexander Zverev, Dominic Thiem and Novak Djokovic en route to 2018 ATP Masters 1000 Paris title, is indeed enjoying a resurgence at 29. The former world No. 8, long a steady presence, a tough out on tour, is playing perhaps the best tennis of his career. In his eyes, anyway, he’s a far more accomplished player now than he was when he broke through to that first Masters crown at 22.

“A better player? Definitely,” insisted Khachanov, who grew up idolizing countryman and two-time major champ Marat Safin, whom he first met as a wide-eyed 16-year-old. “A lot of things have changed. I’ve achieved some great things in big tournaments in my career, but the whole package — physically, mentally, knowing myself better — you cannot compare.”

Is it a matter of maturity, of confidence, seeing the court better than he did when he first broke onto the tour?

“I think it’s a little bit of everything,” said Khachanov, who has reached at least the quarterfinals of the sport’s four biggest events, highlighted by runs to 2022 US Open and 2023 Australian Open semifinals.

“It’s like a whole puzzle: You add five percent here, five percent there, and then you put the whole picture together. I improved in certain ways.”

Including his three wins here at the 2025 Cincinnati Open, Khachanov, the owner of seven career singles titles, has now prevailed in 15 of his last 18 matches, highlighted by a Wimbledon quarterfinal and his run north of the border.

Khachanov says he’s enjoying tennis as much as ever. The wins sure help.

“The toughest part is to enjoy the game the same way when you lose,” he said.

“When you win, everybody tells you how good you are, blah, blah, blah. When you lose, you are not as bad as you think you are. This is what my coach taught me from young age. Always try to have a ‘compass’ to understand where you are, because sometimes you are going north, and sometimes south. This is normal, and you need to remind yourself of that in the end. The point is to have this Zen when you win and when you lose, so you not too up and down with your feelings.”