Tennis

Ernests Gulbis is tennis’ biggest oddball — but not a sore loser

Ernests Gulbis, arguably tennis’ biggest oddball, once famously quipped, “I s–t my pants” after beating Roger Federer four years ago.

On Friday at the U.S. Open, he made a different kind of mess, blowing not only a two-set lead for the first time at a Grand Slam but also a golden opportunity against training partner Dominic Thiem.

Gulbis — the sport’s most eccentric enigma — cramped up in the third set, and watched as Thiem rallied to win 4-6, 3-6, 6-4, 6-3, 6-3.

His friend showed the shot-making skill and athleticism that had fans praising his potential, while Gulbis — despite the best summer of his career — showed all the flaws, frailties and flakiness that have held him back and had him outside the Top 100 just last season.

The 11th-seeded Gulbis, born to one of the richest families in Latvia and brutally honest about his own disinterest in practice, found it tough to play against his friend, and impossible after tightening up in the third set.

“It wasn’t an injury. I started to have cramps,” said Gulbis, who committed a misprint-like 78 unforced errors. “I thought I pulled a muscle in the end of the third set, but I didn’t pull it. It was just really tight, all the hip area. So after that it was just a struggle…I couldn’t play anymore. That’s it.”

He was regularly serving over 130 mph and cruising until he started to struggle physically, calling for a trainer to work on his left thigh after the third set. The 20-year-old Thiem broke him to go up 5-3 and then held to win the fourth.

Gulbis returns to Dominic Thiem during their US Open 2014 men’s singles match.AFP/Getty Images

“I thought it’s not going to be so difficult, but mentally it was difficult,” Gulbis said. “We were both really nervous throughout the match. [It was] far from our best tennis. The level we play in practice is much higher than we did [Friday].

“When I broke him, I didn’t play good — he gave it to me. The first two sets, he gave it to me. … When it counted the most, it was more nerve kind of game than who is the better player on the court at that moment.”

A quirky trust-funder, Gulbis always has been one of tennis’ best quotes, unfiltered and unfettered by convention.

He called spending a night in a Swedish jail in 2009 under suspicion of soliciting a prostitute “great fun,” admits his love of vodka and distaste for American beer, jokes about all the racquets he smashes and acknowledges, “I’ve done all the possible wrong things that you can do in a tennis career. But I’m very happy I made the mistakes that I did.”

Not surprisingly, he shrugged off Friday’s loss.

“You never know when the results are going to come,” Gulbis said. “Unfortunately now is a Grand Slam. Everybody wishes that his top form is coming for the Grand Slam. Mine didn’t come. Now I have to look forward to Asia. If I play really well, I still have a chance for Masters. I just need to win something big. But it’s good. It’s OK. You know, a loss is a loss, but it’s fine.”