Australian Open 2018

[don_budge]

"The Jerk" Unraveling?

At 3-3 in the second set Nick Kyrgios tried a worthless "tweener" at 15 all on his serve. Dimitrov smashed the little bunny into next week for a 15-30 advantage on the Kyrgios serve. I started to notice little signs in this service game that Nick might be throwing in the towel. These are the situations where Kyrgios is weak mentally. In five set matches you have to go with the ebb and flow. He doesn't have the patience.

There is no good reason under the sun that a man of Nick Kygios's size and strength needs two hands on the backhand. Whoever developed this player lost a big opportunity to change his destiny by continuing with two hands when he was strong enough to swing with one hand. In this case the two handed paradigm limits the potential of the player as it does so much in the modern game. Advantage Roger Federer.

[stroke]

Grigor had to play very well with extremely hard work defensively to win vs Nick. Grigor, unlike Nick, really comes across well on the court. I do agree with Stotty that Nick would have a better chance of beating Nadal or Roger than Grigor. Grigor just does not match up well vs either.

[stotty]

Just a couple of comments:

Djokovic looked very solid from the baseline. He didn't look rusty to me.

Chung is the one who really looked different. I was so impressed with Sasha last year. Chung completely broke him down from the baseline ... and he doesn't seem to mind following his shots to the net. He moves really well. I thought "Gosh, this is a really solid 170 lb 5' 10" guy with terrific mobility and strenghth" and then I looked it up and saw that he is 6' 2" tall and 192 lbs. This guy is fast, strong and agile. I'm looking forward to that match against Novak and I think we will find out whether Djokovic has his confidence back or not. If he is really struggling with that second serve like he was in earlier matches, Chung will take advantage. I think he hits a bigger ball than Novak. But the question will be if he can do it off a ball as deep as Novak's.

Finally, I was really hoping some of you would pick up the comment I had in the Segura thread about how his 2hfh was really a lefty 2hbh in structure and no one ever attacks that way with a 2hbh.

don

I haven't seen Chung play yet. I hope he goes out and plays well against Djokovic. A lot of players hit a bigger ball than Djokovic but Djokovic hits such and incredible length once he gets into his rhythm it can negate the bigger hitters or the shotmakers. That coupled with sheer consistentcy is much what Djokovic's game centres around. Plus, he can be a difficult customer to put away.

Roger is the best player in the tournament so far. He's had a dream draw thus far and breezed through as you would expect.

But the real break through has come from Kyle Edmund. He has inched his way forward over the last few years and is playing with real authority and confidence. He can hit his forehand as hard as Roger if not harder and it's a real haymaker.

Kyrgios disappointed me a little but not anywhere near as much as Dimitrov impressed me. I like Dimitrov. He seems a nice lad.

I hadn't finished with the Segura thread and your comments on his two-handed forehand didn't go unnoticed. I have some thoughts on the topic myself and more to add.

This morning I worked in rain followed by sleet....can you believe that? 'Only mad dogs and Englishman' is an accurate expression of the Englishman's resolve and determination. I am now sitting inside with a mug of coffee and a chocolate biscuit.

[don_budge]

Roger Federer versus Anybody is still the pick of the litter...

I watched bits and pieces of Nadal in each of his three matches. The pink...the sleeveless shirt. I like Nick Kyrgios more than I like this character. But he looks like he is a lock to the semifinals where hopefully Nick Kyrgios will be waiting for him. I think it's great that Kyle Edmund is through with a real chance to advance. Great for you Brits. Dominic Thiem should advance to a quarter final showdown with who? Djokovic or Zverev? Does Zverev get past Hyeon Chung who manhandled Daniil Medvedev who was looking pretty formidable.

Just a couple of comments:

Djokovic looked very solid from the baseline. He didn't look rusty to me.

Chung is the one who really looked different. I was so impressed with Sasha last year. Chung completely broke him down from the baseline ... and he doesn't seem to mind following his shots to the net. He moves really well. I thought "Gosh, this is a really solid 170 lb 5' 10" guy with terrific mobility and strenghth" and then I looked it up and saw that he is 6' 2" tall and 192 lbs. This guy is fast, strong and agile. I'm looking forward to that match against Novak and I think we will find out whether Djokovic has his confidence back or not. If he is really struggling with that second serve like he was in earlier matches, Chung will take advantage. I think he hits a bigger ball than Novak. But the question will be if he can do it off a ball as deep as Novak's.

KLACR should be really happy. Berdych routined Del Potro.

don

Ironically the only time that Novak Djokovic and Hyeon Chung have met on the court it was Djokovic winning in straight sets 6-3, 6-2, 6-4 at the Australian Open in 2016. At the time Hyeon was 19 years old and still wet behind the years as a tennis professional. He turned professional at 17. But here we are two years later and Hyeon is coming off the biggest win of his career arguably and Novak is trying to find his way deep into another Grand Slam after being away from the tour for six months or so.

This guy comes in under the radar as opposed to "Next Generation" poster boys Dominic Thiem and Alexander Zverev. He played like it too against Zverev. He had nothing to lose and everything to gain. Ideal psychological space from which to play over your head. Here is another golden opportunity for Chung as he faces the "Meteoric" Djokovic who has been on top of the tennis world for the past five or six years it seems. Chung played a really neat match against Zverev as he seemed to have a definite tactic in mind as he attacked the Zverev forehand to open up the backhand. As tennis_chiro notes...he was not afraid to finish things off at the net and he played a very intelligent match. He finished it off in style with a nice bagel and Zverev looked totally perplexed as to what had just happened to him. It was almost like...how did this guy dare to play that well against me? Doesn't he know who I am?

You won't see any of this attitude from Chung. Not now and not at any time in the future. This guy is as serious as a heart attack. He has been making a bit of a steady climb as he was at #100 or thereabouts last year at this time. Look for this guy to play Novak tough. Two years ago he was actually ranked about the same as he is now...#58. The conditions are different though as Novak may just be under the 100% level and this may just be the crack that Hyeon needs to open the door and come barging in. I watched Novak just a bit against Young, Monfils and Ramos-Vinolas. From what I saw I would say that it was inconclusive but I am tempted to say that he may not be match tough at this point. Working in Novak's favour is that he has had a fairly tame draw and Chung is an unknown quantity in a sense.

I think that these four matches in the fourth round in the bottom half of the draw all have some interesting aspects to them. I think that Thiem versus Sandgren is sort of compelling if for the only reason we have a lone American and another unknown quantity. His name just happens to be Tennys too...was he born to play tennis? Berdych versus Fognini is a marketing dream for the fourth round. These two are 2-2 head to head and it promises to be an interesting match up. Then of course there is Roger Federer versus Anybody...this is always the match of the day. Watching Roger make his way through the draw knowing that he is using every nano of information in his anticipation of going forwards. He is focused in the moment with the plan to always go to the next step. He never gets ahead of himself and deals with the opponent at hand. It may be Fognini or Berdych in the next round but Roger will finish off Anybody before he gives either of the other a second thought. His eye is always on the ball. Except for the split second when it leaves his racquet...he is still looking where the ball was.

[don_budge]

This morning I worked in rain followed by sleet....can you believe that? 'Only mad dogs and Englishman' is an accurate expression of the Englishman's resolve and determination. I am now sitting inside with a mug of coffee and a chocolate biscuit.

I believe it...but it's hard to imagine. Amazing...I don't miss it. I still find myself thinking about my students though. I hope for the best for them. I still relish slamming the door right in the collective kisser of my ex-partner and the director. It's their problem now. Coffee and a chocolate biscuit...you deserve it.

[stotty]

I believe it...but it's hard to imagine. Amazing...I don't miss it. I still find myself thinking about my students though. I hope for the best for them. I still relish slamming the door right in the collective kisser of my ex-partner and the director. It's their problem now. Coffee and a chocolate biscuit...you deserve it.

I know you believe but next time I'll post a video. The poor sun-drenched Klacr wouldn't last 5 minutes out there...frostbite before you know it.

Are you going to coach again or put your feet up?

It's great to have Edmund to root for...a Brit. I think he has a chance against Dimitrov.

[klacr]

I know you believe but next time I'll post a video. The poor sun-drenched Klacr wouldn't last 5 minutes out there...frostbite before you know it.

Are you going to coach again or put your feet up?

It's great to have Edmund to root for...a Brit. I think he has a chance against Dimitrov.

I do not operate in temperatures below 70 degrees Fahrenheit period! It's amazing to think I lasted and flourished up in Michigan as long as I did.

Congrats to you don_budge for sticking it to the man and coming to peace with your inner worker bee self. Work is great if you love it, but if there are issues with staffing or philosophies, it grinds the gears down to dust.

Happy to see Kyrgios lose. Happier to see Dimitrov dig down deep. Federer's tournament now. Last Aussie is out. Djokovic is intriguing. He looks good but has not really been tested. Would love to see him regain that fire and form so he can take it to Nadal if they ever meet this year throughout the season.

Kyle LaCroix USPTA
Boca Raton

[doctorhl]

"The Jerk" Unraveling?

At 3-3 in the second set Nick Kyrgios tried a worthless "tweener" at 15 all on his serve. Dimitrov smashed the little bunny into next week for a 15-30 advantage on the Kyrgios serve. I started to notice little signs in this service game that Nick might be throwing in the towel. These are the situations where Kyrgios is weak mentally. In five set matches you have to go with the ebb and flow. He doesn't have the patience.

There is no good reason under the sun that a man of Nick Kygios's size and strength needs two hands on the backhand. Whoever developed this player lost a big opportunity to change his destiny by continuing with two hands when he was strong enough to swing with one hand. In this case the two handed paradigm limits the potential of the player as it does so much in the modern game. Advantage Roger Federer.

Totally agree on the lack of patience and the shortcomings of the two hander. Nick(like Dustin Brown), has so much talent, that he gets overloaded with possibilities of shot selection and makes incredibly poor decisions. Federer is another talent that has a number of choices at any one moment, but seems to know when it is appropriate to select a lower percentage shot.

[tennis_chiro]

Just loving watching Hsieh giving Kerber a lesson in all court tactics, exposing the one-dimensional nature of Kerber's game. She may not be able to finish this, but, boy, is she fun to watch

don

[don_budge]

Tennys Anyone?

The last of the Americans...the last of the Mohicans. Tennys anyone? As in Tennys Sandgren. I don't know that I have heard anything about this guy...certainly not all that much. But here he is in the round of sixteen facing thew wonder kind named Dominic Thiem. Best of luck to you Mr. Tennys. Dominic Thiem is another of these young wonder kids...the Next Generation that was over hyped too soon. The extra hype plays havoc on your psyche. Somehow it gives you a sense of entitlement which is the kiss of death on the professional tennis tour. The opponent senses it and it gives him that motivational edge which can get him over the top in a tight duel. Ask Alexander Zverev about this psychic phenomena. Does he understand what has happened to him and does he have the answer to get over it? Existential questions. Before it was a question of when young Zverev was going to win his first Grand Slam. To me the question is always "will he win a Grand Slam"?

In this regard Tennys has a little bit of a motivational advantage and he should feel as if he has nothing to lose. This is an occasion for him to play the match of his life. Get loose and stay loose. A good tactical plan in the bag is absolutely necessary. Go out and play with an idea in mind. How best to elicit errors from "Next Generation" Dominic Thiem. Put pressure on him is absolutely essential so that he might start to feel the expectations of those premature accolades. Thiem seems to be a bit more resistant to the problem than Zverev. Zverev seems fragile mentally to me. The smashing of racquets is a giveaway. There is no call for this type of behaviour from a true champion. Very few can afford this type of lapse of concentration.

http://www.atpworldtour.com/en/news/sandgren-marterer-australian-open-2018

While a win for Tennys may not make American tennis great again (MATGA) it certainly won't hurt. I was impressed with Tennys' down the line backhand. This will be a great starting point in his tactical approach against Thiem. In given situations he should elect to go down the line to press the issue instead of the safer cross court into the strength of the Thiem backhand.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=koNCsKxWZeE

Tennis from Tennessee up two sets to one against Dominic Thiem. More later.

[don_budge]

Tennis from Tennessee up two sets to one against Dominic Thiem. More later.

Tennys from Tennessee...stupid spell check.

[don_budge]

Sandgren and Chung both exhibit an ability that Kyrgios could learn from. In a word...hustle. Kyrgios refuses to look like he is trying to hard. He Is trying to hard to look cool. He said that he wanted Will Smith to think he was the coolest person in the world. What an idiot.

[don_budge]

The Book is Bill Tilden...

In Chung's win over Zverev he neatly attacked the forehand to open up the backhand. This is perhaps technically attacking the other player's strength typically. Against the two hand backhand this is particularly effective as the marginal limit in reach on the backhand is exposed by opening up the court. Chung has done this a couple of times against Djokovic and it looks rather clever. Now he will serve for the set at 5-4. A big moment for the young man.

Djokovic looks just a bit shaky on his feet. It is questionable if he is actually match tough and can withstand the pressure over five sets. As tennis_chiro noted a major strength of Chung is movement and he looks to have tree trunks for legs. This gives him the appearance of being considerable shorter than he actually is. It will be a war of attrition if Chung can take out the legs of the older and perhaps less well conditioned Djokovic. Does the two handed backhand eventually become a liability when movement becomes less with age?

[don_budge]

Boy oh Boy...

Two tie-breaks end simultaneously. Sandgren loses his to Thiem...two sets all. Into the fifth. Chung wins his against Djokovic. I almost feel it was more imperative that Djokovic win the first set than Chung. Chung now has the luxury of facing a long battle against the older and more questionably fit Djokovic. Very interesting.

Sandgren is in unknown territory. A fifth set being deep in the draw of a Grand Slam. Let's see how he handles the pressure.

[don_budge]

It looks like Djokovic may be on the ropes...going down. Chung 3-0 in the second. Djokovic is tweaking with his arm and flexing his fingers. Arm trouble? Sandgren and Thiem on serve in the fifth going toe to toe. Thiem saved the match for himself at this point with two unbelievable down the line backhands in the tie-break. One of them was on match point for Sandgren.