Coach Knowles: Fish struggling with new status

Mardy Fish’s new coach, doubles standout Mark Knowles, says that his charge is struggling with being the United States' top player. After falling to Michael Russell in Houston, the world No. 9 now 6-7 on the year. Fish has encountered some health issues and pulled out of Davis Cup last week, but Knowles says that might be a result of mental stress affecting him physically.

"The hardest part for Mardy is he’s really having trouble being in situation he’s in," Knowles told TENNIS.com. "He’s accomplished a lot in last year and half and achieved lot of his goals. It's more evidence that it's easier to get there than to stay there. It’s easier on the way up because every week is a new positive. It shows how tough the tour is. He had extremely full year last year ending in the Masters in London and before he knows it he had to turn around two weeks later and face Grand Slam pressure at the Australian Open. You are also going into that major as totally different person than you’ve been in your career, as the top American and as the world No. 8. Things are being asked of you never had to deal with  before."

Knowles added that by his own admission, Fish has been struggling with adjustment.

"It’s really impeded his tennis and he’s having trouble getting to a good space where he can play his best and play the way we saw in 2011. Then he gets negative press and starts to take it personally. There are new things he’s never encountered and he has to find a way to deal with it. [His tennis is] still there. For him it’s getting back to that good space and be able to freeing up and play the tennis he is definitely capable of playing."—Matt Cronin