Kolek planning to go pro
Rafa was the best "mover" I've ever seen, and yes, Alcaraz reminds me of him at that age. It's fun to look at that kind of thing and make projections about a career, but we'll see if Alcaraz can have 1/10th the career that Nadal and Djokovic have had. I hope so - tennis needs young stars and he has a very enjoyable-to-watch game and personality. Agree about the Medvedev/Kyrgios winner being the favorite - definitely if it's the former and probably if it's the latter.
Kyrgios ready ta pop a gasket, hey?
Well itz obviously Yonex's fault he fooked up, aina?
Nah, he's just fookin' nutz, hey?
I have no idea why he threw his racket twice. Then he comes up with this insane dropshot at 11-11 and wins the set (13-11). Medvy in 5?
It’s how he motivates himself.
Jockey, until recently he was displaying these antics and it wasn't helping him win matches at all. I think he'd be fine if he just played tennis.
Its kind of silly to tell a professional athlete how to motivate themselves or get themselves amped up. He has a unique personality and does what works for him. He may not have majors, but he's still won 7 tourneys as a pro, made QFs, and been a top 50 player most of his career. I think its helped him win plenty of matches. He's far from the only top player to throw a racket repeatedly.Last night was kind of terrifying if you're a Kyrgios hater. Multiple times during that first tiebreak he looked like he was going to implode, and instead he hit laser serves and INSANE drop shots. Then in the 3rd and 4th set he was just a killer. Absoluftely crazy how much he has had Medvedev's number recently. He's just so electric when he's dialed in.
Its kind of silly to tell a professional athlete how to motivate themselves or get themselves amped up. He has a unique personality and does what works for him. He may not have majors, but he's still won 7 tourneys as a pro, made QFs, and been a top 50 player most of his career. I think its helped him win plenty of matches. He's far from the only top player to throw a racket repeatedly.Last night was kind of terrifying if you're a Kyrgios hater. Multiple times during that first tiebreak he looked like he was going to implode, and instead he hit laser serves and INSANE drop shots. Then in the 3rd and 4th set he was just a killer. Absolutely crazy how much he has had Medvedev's number recently. He's just so electric when he's dialed in.
I remember you and I had a Kyrgios discussion earlier this year and we both agreed that he has a ton of talent and all the shots. Something definitely seems to have clicked for him. In his post-match interview, he talked about training hard; maybe he's finally starting to take his career seriously?The only thing he did yesterday that was really stupid IMHO was smash the ball against the back wall; had it gone about 3 feet higher, he'd have been DQ'd and we'd be talking right now about what an idiot he is. The other stuff he did was just dopey; the racing to the wrong side of the net to play that one shot was even oddly endearing.In many ways, he's just a modern-day version of McEnroe. I really, really like McEnroe as an announcer, but it's pretty funny to hear him criticize Kyrgios for antics similar to those he employed himself way back when. All I can think is, "You've GOT to be kidding me!" Kyrgios isn't my cup of tea. I prefer the ultimate class that a guy like Rafa plays with -- and has won 22 majors with. But I I'm not a "Kyrgios hater." He certainly makes tennis more interesting.
Nadal does not look sharp early.
Definitely nowhere near 100% healthy. No juice on his serve and his ground strokes aren’t sharp. It will be an incredible feat to win this match.
Exactly right. No zip at all on his serve.
The announcers are giving Tiafoe credit for “defending his second serve,” but Rafa has flat missed numerous opportunities to take advantage of second serves.