For Ken and Neal Skupski of Great Britain, the past year has been a whirlwind that has included a significant breakthrough and a blood clot.
The brothers, Ken being seven years older than Neal, experienced an earthquake in Acapulco in March, but that was just the start of a busy period.
It all began with their biggest team victory to date. At the Abierto Mexicano Telcel presented by HSBC, where they defeated three of the top four seeds—all of whom had participated in the Nitto ATP Finals they won their first ATP 500 trophy as a team.
After winning in Acapulco, Ken returned home on a Saturday and started feeling pain in his right leg. Later, he found out it was a blood clot.
Neal’s recent run of success allowed him to reach a career-high ranking of No. 16 in the FedEx ATP Doubles Rankings. Ken was confined to his home as he worked on getting healthy.
The Skupski brothers have lost all four of their matches since Ken returned in May in Lyon, despite the fact that Ken and Matt Reid did win an ATP Challenger Tour event in the middle of that slump.
Due to the numerous skilled pairs competing, even if you don’t play poorly, it is difficult to win on the doubles circuit.
