2014 Wimbledon Championships...London, England

[klacr]

Nick Kyrgios

A star is born.

Saw a few moments from the match. This kid took it to Rafa and didn't care about Rafa's spin, his speed, his fight. Kid knew he has the game and the shots. A few notes on this match.

-First time since 1992 a player outside top 100 (Kyrgios ranked 144) has defeated a world #1. (Andrei Olhovsky v Jim Courier)

-19 year old Kyrgios is 1st player born in 1990s to beat Nadal. Kyrgios born April, 1995.

-1st teen to defeat World No.1 at a Slam since Nadal achieved the feat when he defeated Federer at 2005 Roland Garros.

Nadal's Wimbledon Losses last three years
-2012 Loss 2r Rosol (Rank 100)
2013 Loss 1r Darcis (Rank 135)
2014 Loss 4r Kyrgios (Rank 144)

Nick Kyrgios Stat Line
70 winners, 31 unforced errors, 37 aces.

Just a great day at Wimbledon. Manic Monday was yesterday. Tumultuous Tuesday was today. Awesome stuff. Did I mention that Wimbledon is my favorite tournament?

Kyle LaCroix USPTA
Boca Raton

[stotty]

Just saw the kid's post match interview over here. He's taken the whole thing in his stride. Talk about self-assured and confident. Does the kid realise what he's done??

[klacr]

Just saw the kid's post match interview over here. He's taken the whole thing in his stride. Talk about self-assured and confident. Does the kid realise what he's done??

The Audacity of Youth.

Kyle LaCroix USPTA
Boca Raton

[klacr]

Let's also keep in mind that Nick Kyrgios in the 2nd round of this tournament saved 9 match points against Richard Gasquet. He saved 9 MATCH POINTS!!!

19 year old wildcard Nick Kyrgios. Last wildcard to win Wimbledon...Goran Ivaniesevic.

Kyrgios made his last 13 first serves to close out the match. 13 first serves in a row against the #1 player in the world on center court.

Kyle LaCroix USPTA
Boca Raton

[DougEng]

Kyrgios

Nick Kyrgios

A star is born.

Saw a few moments from the match. This kid took it to Rafa and didn't care about Rafa's spin, his speed, his fight. Kid knew he has the game and the shots. A few notes on this match.

-First time since 1992 a player outside top 100 (Kyrgios ranked 144) has defeated a world #1. (Andrei Olhovsky v Jim Courier)

-19 year old Kyrgios is 1st player born in 1990s to beat Nadal. Kyrgios born April, 1995.

-1st teen to defeat World No.1 at a Slam since Nadal achieved the feat when he defeated Federer at 2005 Roland Garros.

Nadal's Wimbledon Losses last three years
-2012 Loss 2r Rosol (Rank 100)
2013 Loss 1r Darcis (Rank 135)
2014 Loss 4r Kyrgios (Rank 144)

Nick Kyrgios Stat Line
70 winners, 31 unforced errors, 37 aces.

Just a great day at Wimbledon. Manic Monday was yesterday. Tumultuous Tuesday was today. Awesome stuff. Did I mention that Wimbledon is my favorite tournament?

Kyle LaCroix USPTA
Boca Raton

Sorry I have been absent from tennisplayer since the past couple weeks have been insane. I wish I could make predictions here but I didn't have the time. Kyrgios is one of the most dangerous players (I'm saying that as a pre-Wimbledon analysis) players coming up and the most promising Aussie. The Australians are quite big on him as World #1 junior.

I've been watching him since Australian Open since his game was so big there but he didn't have the stamina against Benoit Paire…after winning two big sets in the 2nd round. Despite like 10,000 Aussies cheering for him (I think in Court Arena but I can't quite remember since I was watching that and another match live) he ran out of gas. Darren Cahill said he was working on grass court movement and conditioning, so it showed.

For predictions, I had Nadal losing to Raonic in the next round…but I thought Kyrgios could win a couple rounds…not this far so soon. A pleasant surprise! But now every big-hitting player ranked 100 is dangerous to Nadal on grass.

We talk about the aging game of tennis (the top players are older). About teenagers, they are still around, but one of the reasons we don't see many is not because the tour game favors older players. I think largely, the younger talent isn't as good as the golden age. Keep in mind, Serena lost to Alize Cornet in her 10th year on the tour and still only 24 years old. Cornet got to like #11 in 2009. Even Americans like Donald Young and Ryan Harrison actually got fairly high rankings at like age of 20 (Harrison was #43 at age 20). Young was #73 at age 19. Melanie Oudin and Christina McHale made early splashes at the US Open. But none of them are Roger, Rafa, Serena, Maria, Andy or Nole. Even Grigor won't be at that level. However, we may see Raonic, despite his critics and not the best mobility, be a threat for top 3-4 with Delpo when the Big Four are gone. Grigor will be around that level, I don't think any better. But Kyrgios could be there too…in 2-3 years (that is top 10).

I had Genie or Maria winning….now Maria is out…it's Genie's first major for the taking.

It seems more and more likely that many of us picked Federer to win his 8th Wimbledon may come true…unless Andy steps up. I think only Murray can beat Fed…I'm surprised Andy's playing as well as he is…just really on a roll since RG
(the SF at RG is good considering his lackluster spring due to injury). Not saying Andy will win the whole thing but he is really the only guy who can beat Fed in the finals…but he could fall to Grigor or Nole…that half of the draw is less predictable. Fed against someone...

Best,
Doug

[don_budge]

John McEnroe on Nick Kyrgios...

Sorry I have been absent from tennisplayer since the past couple weeks have been insane.
Best,
Doug

Now you know how it feels. Not the busy part...you know. The other. Insane. Good to hear from you.

I just caught some highlights. I love the kid's backhand. He hits it hard (looks real flat) and disguises the down the line really well. He picks exactly the right time to hit the down the liner too...perfect from the handful of shots they showed.

The set point in the third was remarkable. He hit an acutely angled forehand straight into the lion's mouth. No one was expecting that, especially Nadal, who was caught flat and was wrong-footed. That was a masterful decision. He meant it too. That was smart.

Throughout the match...early on John McEnroe picked up on the backhand of Nick Kyrgios. He repeatedly made the comment that "the backhand appears to be steadier than the forehand" or comments to that effect. McEnroe sounded like he does in those corny tennis movies...maybe it was "Wimbledon" come to think of it. He sounded awe struck...as if he was witnessing the second coming.

The Kyrgios flat serve was astonishingly effective...he repeatedly and consistently hit it up the middle in the deuce court and produced some surprising angle out to the ad court. He aced Nadal so many times up the middle to the forehand I still have this image in my mind of Nadal just putting his head down and walking to the ad court. If anything...Nick lacked the spin serves to complement his "cannonball" so when he really starts to do the math and figure out the geometry of the serving game...good night Irene.

Brief service motion analysis...pin point with a bit of an abbreviated backswing. He's a candidate for something Gonzalesesque...he's even got the skin tone. Great to have an Aussie in the mix...like gzhpcu said.

Just waiting to hear from tennis_chiro.

[gzhpcu]

It is my favorite tournament as well. The old-time look, grass courts, players in white, allows serve and volley now and then... what more could you ask for?

[don_budge]

The Drag Queen...I mean The Drama Queen. Serena Williams.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cce3gLVid4Q

Much ado about nothing. Another million dollar baby crying when things don't go her way. Look around you...there are those that really have something to cry about. If only she had a real job for a change.

You can skip the interviews as far as I am concerned. Athletes these days consider themselves to be entertainers. Of course the idiot fan base has bought into it. It is as if they are going to say something earth shattering? Jock talk. A bad example at that.

Whining...no credit to the opponent. No genuine credit that is. Barely an attempt to be gallant. The voice...is that a real woman?

Federer and Djokovic say the right things. The skunk Nadal cannot talk about anything other than himself or his feelings...much like this skunk. Serena Williams.

What a couple of Drama Drag Queen's...these two are really from another planet. The more I see of them...I cannot believe my eyes. Strange...weird...odd are some of the words that come to mind.

http://edition.cnn.com/2014/07/01/sport/tennis/wimbledon-serena-williams/index.html?hpt=hp_c2

Then there is the obligatory excuse for the loss two days before. These two don't add up. I am telling you something is rotten in Denmark when it comes to "Serena" and "Venus". Even the names...goddesses of femininity and then there are the actual physiques and the actual countenances...absolutely diametrically opposed to the names. What kind of joke has Richard perpetrated on us?

"Unfortunately Serena has been feeling unwell for the past few days and she just couldn't play to her potential today," Venus Williams said. "I'm really proud of her for trying."

Read...it wasn't that her opponent was better it was only that Serena had a life threatening illness. Yes...and we are really proud of you Venus. For lying.

[klacr]

It is my favorite tournament as well. The old-time look, grass courts, players in white, allows serve and volley now and then... what more could you ask for?

BINGO!

Kyle LaCroix USPTA
Boca Raton

[don_budge]

Rafael Nadal...The Psyche Artist

Nadal loses the first set so what does he do? He leaves the court...the con artist. What a skunk!

Almost forgotten in the aftermath of the train wreck. Nadal once again left the court after getting hammered in the first set. Nick went out onto the court for the start of the second set and it was a bit obvious that he was perplexed and a little embarrassed that Nadal had left him all alone out on the court. Coincidently Kyrgios lost this set too.

You never see this jerk leave the court when he is hammering his opponent...just when he is behind. Just to psyche out his opponent. How dare they think about beating him...so he just leaves and gives them some time to think about it.

Nary an explanation. Not a word as to why. The announcers just gloss this shit over. The guy who everyone lauds as some champion of true competitive spirit is a cheater and a con artist. Playing the rules all of the time and stretching them to accommodate himself.

The time between points...the multiple towels for toweling off after every shot...the ticks and rituals...the waiting at the beginning of the match...the thing with not stepping on the lines...the sprinting out for the beginning of the match as if he cannot wait for the thing to begin after making everyone wait for him to stop fiddle fucking around with his water bottles...the strip tease after his victories (he didn't bother yesterday as he knew nobody was watching his tired act after he got his ass handed to him)...the time he was jumping and swinging around Roger as they were waiting to take to the court...and all of the rest of it.

My only hope is that someday this guy is exposed for the cheater that he is. Remember the clam diggers and the sleeveless shirts? All time low on my list of champions in any sport that I ever knew. Impostor...fraud...cheater? Good riddance. See you never. Half media concoction.

[don_budge]

Rafael Nadal and Serena Williams...

What a couple of Drama Queen's. I cannot stand either one of them. Modern sports heroes...entertainers. What a bunch of malarky. We will probably hear how Fafa was playing with a life threatening condition in the next few days...hence the bathroom break after the first set.

A marriage made in heaven...I can only imagine the children such a union might produce. Yech!

[don_budge]

Wild Wednesday...the quarterfinals at the 2014 Wimbledon Championships

Just a great day at Wimbledon. Manic Monday was yesterday. Tumultuous Tuesday was today. Awesome stuff. Did I mention that Wimbledon is my favorite tournament?

Kyle LaCroix USPTA
Boca Raton

If you didn't mention it klacr...you didn't have to. After yesterday we are faced with Wild Wednesday. There haven't been better matchups than this in years that I can remember. Three of the original Big Four still alive but they all have their work cut out for them. Roger perhaps being in the best position of all. stroke has his fingers crossed for him. One time...one more time.

Novak Djokovic vs. Marin Cilic. Talk about having the hot hand. Marin Cilic has quietly grown into this tournament and now he meets the arch nemesis Novak Djokovic. What better place to meet him and at the right time too. You see...Novak has beaten Marin nine times in a row...and Marin has only to say to himself, "Nobody, but nobody beats Marin Cilic ten times in a row". Vitas Gerulatis once said something to that effect after beating Björn Borg for the first time in ten thousand meetings. This would be the time and the place for Marin to make a stand. He has the hot hand after straight victories over Tomas Berdych and Jeremy Chardy with a zillion aces and it is on the lawn. It is the lawn where inroads are made...where upsets can happen when you least expect it. Djokovic for his part seems to be just ever so slightly tentative...he has had some "niggles" the past couple of months. Quite possibly a surprise in the happening...after yesterday...who knows? Novak...however has a lot to say in this matter. He is perhaps the wiliest of them all.

Grigor Dimitrov vs. Andy Murray. Here is an absolutely perfect matchup. The sometimes fragile psyche of Andy versus the up and coming lion Grigor. We here on the forum have been watching Grigor's rising star for some time now and here he is in position to eclipse one of the Big Four. Again...timing is everything. Andy has been struggling to find his form and what better place to find it than at the place where he will defend his Wimbledon crown. Both players seem to have played themselves into form and are seemingly match fit...but you know what? It seems to me that Grigor's ship has come in. He has a sense of fatalism here...it has been growing inside his breast for sometime now...his heart is pounding. His coach has his attention...to offset the screaming banshee of a girlfriend...and Kid Galavant has braced himself for whatever comes his way. He knows that he can beat Murray. He beat him that last time that they played...in the semifinals down in Acapulco. The revenge factor is somewhat nullified as Murray has too much on his mind...you know...the queen, the pomp and circumstance. I wouldn't want to be playing tennis in his shoes. Too much going on. Then there is the girlfriend...possibly high maintenance. The mother looks just like him...not that that has anything to do with anything. This is just another fascinating matchup...too close to call. Why not just watch and see what happens? Notice how I dropped the "Mauresmo" from Murray's name? Time to stop kidding around. Straighten up and act right don_budge. Afterall...it is Wimbledon.

Roger Federer vs. Stanislas Wawrinka. I know what you are thinking. Stanislas...he's the up and comer. He won the Australian Open. He beat Roger the last time that they played. Stan destroyed the mythological mystique that Roger has over Stan. Lay it all to rest. This is still Roger Federer...and it is still the lawn of Wimbledon. Roger 13 and 2 against his Swiss counterpart. He has the new racquet. He has the new set of twins. He has had some time to get used to all of it and let life resume to normal...as normal as it can be if your name is Roger Federer. I have a message for Stan...see how the Fed Express rolls over a guy who beat him and he is looking for atonement. Go ask Tommy...Robredo. Roger made him feel so small. He wants to kick your ass Stan...I wouldn't want to be playing tennis in Stan's sneakers either. Like Murray...Stan has some psychological issues working against him. He has had some difficulty adjusting to his new "hunted" status...but his biggest problem today is going to be none other than "The Man" himself. Because he wants revenge and he doesn't take no for an answer. Particularly at Wimbledon...which he sort of considers his home turf.

Milos Raonic vs. Nick Kyrgios. Milos is praying to himself like that Christopher Walken character in the Deer Hunter that Robert DeNiro is screaming "Nicky...put an empty chamber in that gun!!! Put an empty chamber in that gun...Nicky!!!" as they are playing Russian Roulette in that hell hole somewhere in Vietnam. Fuck! What? Milos is hoping that Nick will just miss a serve now and then. Much like poor little Samurai Kid was yesterday as he was only waving at ace after ace that Milos was serving at. The tennis in this match up might not be so pretty as in the others but the match up is compelling nonetheless. Afterall there is the prospect of "The New Kid in Town" coming of age before his time. Nikos won't be just waving at the Raonic serve going by him. Raonic also has the great misfortune of defeating darling "Nicky" (Prince) at Roland Garros. Great misfortune, I say, because once again Milos has provided this young amazing specimen with the revenge motive which is not to be underestimated on the lawn at Wimbledon where funny things have been known with players psyche...you know. The pressure. The Queen. The Pomp and Circumstance.

No wonder this is your favorite tournament klacr...what's not to like.

[don_budge]

The Tournament...Who's is it?

What a great day for tennis and for Wimbledon. The match ups are just superb. The horses have all jockeyed for position and now as Roger says the tournament has truly begun. So whose tournament is this anyhow?

Answer to that compelling question...it is anybody's tournament. One of these eight is going to catch fire and have the hot hand. Theoretically...any of them could do it. Look at those names and think of what they have accomplished in the past week. Anything is possible for all of them. Any of them could pull it off and conceivably end up with the champions trophy over their heads.

Djokovic might just be the conventional wisdom choice. Cilic has the dark horse chance with his hot hand. Murray is the defending champion who has suddenly appeared to regain his championship form. Dimitrov is the handsome crowd favorite and his career appears to be headed in this direction. Wawrinka may be one of the shakier prospects to pull off the impossible once more. Federer is not only the sentimental choice but a bit of an unknown if that is possible...afterall how much could the extra real estate in his racquet buy him? Did "The New Kid in Town" Kyrgios max out on Nadal, Gasquet and Vesely or does he still have another card up his sleeve? Raonic...the seemingly lethargic giant who has been mowing them down without losing his serve the entire week so far.

It's anybodies tournament more or less for all of them. But if you were going to put some money down...who would you wager on? I always bet with my heart...which more often than not makes me a loser...so I will bet on Federer. I will bet on Federer...for the game. For the game of tennis. What the game needs now more than ever is a hero. One that is tried and true. One that will hold for time immemorial. Somehow to provide the inspiration and the impetus for the game to right itself and set sail in the proper direction...to the roots of the game...towards the net. Only Roger can connect the dots here...the three little dots. The tournament begins today for Roger as he said...this is going to be interesting.

[stroke]

What a couple of Drama Drag Queen's...these two are really from another planet. The more I see of them...I cannot believe my eyes. Strange...weird...odd are some of the words that come to mind.

http://edition.cnn.com/2014/07/01/sport/tennis/wimbledon-serena-williams/index.html?hpt=hp_c2

Then there is the obligatory excuse for the loss two days before. These two don't add up. I am telling you something is rotten in Denmark when it comes to "Serena" and "Venus". Even the names...goddesses of femininity and then there are the actual physiques and the actual countenances...absolutely diametrically opposed to the names. What kind of joke has Richard perpetrated on us?

"Unfortunately Serena has been feeling unwell for the past few days and she just couldn't play to her potential today," Venus Williams said. "I'm really proud of her for trying."

Read...it wasn't that her opponent was better it was only that Serena had a life threatening illness. Yes...and we are really proud of you Venus. For lying.

I posted earlier that Serena's post match press conference, after her loss to Cornet, was the very essence of Serena, but I spoke too soon. She outdid herself with this doubles match absurdity.

[stotty]

Dimitrov is one set up against Murray...playing well. First thing I notice is his movement has improved a lot since last year. Love the way he has peppered the Murray forehand here and there with sliced backhands. I really like Dimitrov's sliced backhand.

Can he keep it up? He thinks he can. I tell by his body language. Let's see...