2018 Mercedes Cup...ATP 250...Stuttgart, Germany

[don_budge]

Putting in the Laps...Preparation, preparation, preparation

It looks to me as if he could play Mischa Zverev in the first match of his comeback. A nice test on the grass with the older Zverev being one of the more accomplished grass court players currently on tour. Accomplished in the sense he will employ the serve and volley technique. Not so accomplished that he is threat for titles.

Truly a deadly sin in life...wasting your talent.

http://www.atpworldtour.com/en/score...chtype=singles

Federer-Zverev was entertaining. Amazing how some forecourt prowess can make tennis entertaining again.

Expected some rust from Federer. Tough first match to play against Zverev, a player who will not engage in too many long rallies nor give you any rhythm, and he's a left. Federer got by. Another win under his belt and another day in Stuttgart.

Your wife would enjoy the Cayenne. Great car. Practicality of a SUV with the performance and engagement of a Porsche. The Swedish tax might be costly though.

Kyle LaCroix USPTA
Boca Raton

Mischa Zverev is a very interesting player. He's had his ups and downs over the course of the years. Injuries...certainly his fair share of disappointments. But he is resilient. He keeps bouncing back and he gets to take some swings at the big boys. Yesterday he was swinging away and he caught Roger Federer wearing a rust suit in the first set. You cannot underestimate the left handed advantage either...particularly on the lawn where the serve can be swung into the seats.

Speaking of lefties...Denis "The Menace" seems to be experiencing some growing pains. I think that he needs to grow into his brain. Speaking of a waste of talent...so far he has yet to find himself. The bouncing between the legs in the pre-serve routine has to go, but it probably won't, and the backwards baseball cap speaks of a sloppiness. A lack of attention to detail. Details such as coming to each and every match with a game plan...some tactics and thoughtfulness. So far he is all muscle. A muscle head. His nemesis was yet another left-handed player...Prajnesh Gunneswaran from India. Prainesh never bounced the ball in his pre-serve routine. A stunning tactic in itself. In todays modern game of tennis some players, not mentioning any names, take forever to put the damn ball in play. The left handed advantage cuts both ways when it is two lefties out there. It isn't pretty sometimes but it's unpredictable. Particularly so on the lawn.

So Roger is out ahead of the field as he awaits the opponent of the next round...the winner of Guido Pella and Prajnesh Gunneswaran. Then it is anybodies guess in the semis. Is Nick Kyrgios in the house? You never know about Nick. His name is in the draw but is his head and heart elsewhere.

[don_budge]

Suddenly...The Old Man and the Sea

Putting in the Laps...Preparation, preparation, preparation

Speaking of lefties...

So Roger is out ahead of the field as he awaits the opponent of the next round...the winner of Guido Pella and Prajnesh Gunneswaran. Then it is anybodies guess in the semis. Is Nick Kyrgios in the house? You never know about Nick. His name is in the draw but is his head and heart elsewhere.

Roger goes away for a few months and look what happens. A Star is Born. Stefano Tsitsipas isn't up to full speed yet but he is promising and watchable. More watchable than every single player on the professional tennis tour other than Roger Federer. Wouldn't it be something to see the two of them match up in the quarters of Wimbledon? Wait...didn't I say that someplace else?

Now there are two. THESE TWO versus Anybody. When they are playing at the same time as they will be overlapping today, who do you watch? Answer...both. My iMac is hooked up to my 40" smart TV via a cable that I bought at Media Mart for 159 Swedish Kronor. That's just about twenty American bucks. How's that for smart money. I can watch both simultaneously on tennistv.com. Life is good...is it not? Tsitsipas vs. Gasquet and Roger versus Guido Pella of Argentina. Another left handed player. Good for Roger that he saw the southpaw spin in his first round against Mischa Zverev. It will come as less of a shock but it will seem to be alien. You never quite get used to it...do you? It's coming from the wrong direction.

Head to head Roger owns Guido 1-0. This is a bit different than a lot of the 7-0 and better records he owns against many of the top players on the tour. For instance he is 17-2 against Richard Gasquet. Plus the only win over Pella was a 7-6- 7-6, 6-3 win over the Argentinian at Wimbledon. in 2016. Pella is currently ranked #75 but that makes him a bit dangerous to a Champion like Roger. Things on the grass can get a bit dicey if you are tentative or "rusty". Again...the match against Zverev is going to pay dividends here in Stuttgart. The home of Mercedes and PORSCHE.

Watch Roger play tennis. He isn't going to be around forever. Try to get a finger on his pulse and gage his level of performance and where he needs to be in the run up to Wimbledon. He wants to get in form and get there in a hurry. He needs matches. I am afraid that when it is all said and done he might be asking himself why he didn't play the French. Maybe...maybe not. But at the same time watch Stefano. Try not to get a kink in your neck in the meantime.

[don_budge]

Curious Kyrgios...The Curious Case of Nick (The Jerk) Kyrgios

This guy is a real whopper. A whopper of a curious case. On the one hand you have knowledgeable people in the tennis industry who flip out telling you how talented this guy is. But what has he done? I will tell you what he has done...absolutely nothing. Nothing except create a tremendous amount of speculation regarding his talent and why he isn't fulfilling it.

I watched as much as I could stand of him yesterday and it wasn't all that much. He eventually won his match against the young and incredibly strong Maximilian Marterer 6-4, 4-6, 6-3. But it was always in question if he would actually finish the match. So now the question is about his match with Feliciano Lopez and if he wins that it will be about his next round. You see...there are always questions swirling around his performance/behavior.

Down below in the bottom half of the draw there is another question mark...in fact a match between two question marks. Milos Raonic versus Thomas Berdych. Raonic was being touted as a shoe-in for some Grand Slam title but hasn't delivered for a variety of reasons. A lot of injury excuses. His opponent Thomas Berdych has also been a somewhat questionable competitor over the years. A lot of hope and expectations but not much in the way of big titles to show for it.

But it is all about Roger at the Mercedes Cup. The reason Nick Kyrgios is even on my radar screen is because if Nick and Roger win today they play in the semifinals. If they do...just look out. These guys have played each other twice. Both matches going three sets and all three sets in each match going to a tie-breaker. Their match at Miami in 2017 was my two out of three set match of the year. The level of pressure being applied by and to each player was just spell binding. Riveting action.

But first things first. Roger Federer vs. Guido Pella and "Curious" Kyrgios vs. Feliciano Lopez.

[don_budge]

Roger Federer on the Comeback Trail meet "Curious" Kyrgios

Curious Kyrgios...The Curious Case of Nick (The Jerk) Kyrgios

This guy is a real whopper. A whopper of a curious case. On the one hand you have knowledgeable people in the tennis industry who flip out telling you how talented this guy is. But what has he done? I will tell you what he has done...absolutely nothing. Nothing except create a tremendous amount of speculation regarding his talent and why he isn't fulfilling it.

But it is all about Roger at the Mercedes Cup. The reason Nick Kyrgios is even on my radar screen is because if Nick and Roger win today they play in the semifinals. If they do...just look out. These guys have played each other twice. Both matches going three sets and all three sets in each match going to a tie-breaker. Their match at Miami in 2017 was my two out of three set match of the year. The level of pressure being applied by and to each player was just spell binding. Riveting action.

But first things first. Roger Federer vs. Guido Pella and "Curious" Kyrgios vs. Feliciano Lopez.

Roger Federer is still Roger Federer. Amazing that at the age of whatever it is now he can take so much time off the tour and just come back as if he had only taken a long weekend. He looks to be pretty darn sharp. It is a little "fits and starts". There is some rust. But overall the timing is just amazing. He is catching some balls just perfectly and lacing shots like he was in mid-season form. He managed to dispatch Guido Pella yesterday routinely and this is just what he needed going into today's marquis matchup with Nick "The Jerk" Kyrgios. "Curious" Kyrgios.

Who is going to show up? I'll tell who has shown up so far. Nick has shown up which is a good start for him but it is difficult to get a finger on the pulse with this guys. Talk about "fits and starts". One minute he looks as if he could care less then he is at the net shaking hands...winning. Typical Nick. He is in his own head above caring. He doesn't want to appear that he actually gives a shit. That wouldn't go with his rebellious personna. Truly this guy is a world class idiot.

But that being said today he faces a more than likely "Rusty" Roger. Federer seems to be the one guy that can get Kyrgios truly excited to test his talent. That last match in Miami was one of the most interesting matches that I have ever seen. If these two guy both manage to bring their games today it might be most interesting. Roger has gotten a couple of matches under his belt and he might just be satisfied with the results so far. Maybe in the scope of his preparation he doesn't see this as a must win. If he loses it will be no skin off his back. He has shown that recently. An ability to take losses in lesser than Grand Slam venues and apparently resolve it instantly.

This should be a big moment for Kyrgios but I am afraid it isn't. He too has his sights squarely on Wimbledon. He doesn't need success. In his mind he is above success. What he needs is attention and he is going to get it either way. Marterer and Lopez are not Federer's. Nick has struggled to get by both. Federer has class. Take a guess who has the edge.

I wouldn't mind seeing a Milos Raonic/Roger Federer final. I will never get tired of watching Federer beat that big lug. Berdych had his chances yesterday but somehow didn't make the best of them. Vintage Berdych.

[stroke]

Oddsmakers certainly agree with db and have Fed at about a 73% chance of winning vs Kyrgios. It is going to be a very interesting match. It never surprises me to see how Fed can just take time off even at his age, and just get it going again playing as only he ever has. He has it all, the best technique ever, and the mental side to go along with it. There has never been a more beloved tennis player.

[don_budge]

Oddsmakers certainly agree with db and have Fed at about a 73% chance of winning vs Kyrgios. It is going to be a very interesting match. It never surprises me to see how Fed can just take time off even at his age, and just get it going again playing as only he ever has. He has it all, the best technique ever, and the mental side to go along with it. There has never been a more beloved tennis player.

Nick "The Jerk" Kyrgios playing a little B-Ball with another hotdog...Gael "The Amazing" Mr. Monfils.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7TypQP75Pos

[stotty]

Roger and Kyrgios should an interesting match. I may catch a bit.

I wouldn't worry about Roger. He has been training and playing non-stop during the clay court season. It should only take a match or two to get into full throttle. This guy only ever stopped playing for three months after his knee surgery and them trained increasingly for three months after that. He's actually only had three months off in his whole career!

[don_budge]

Nick is the worst, with his too cool for school fakeness.

He has that "too cool for school" written all over his attitude but he is pressing the issue on every point. The tie-breaker was perfectly played. He just coasted on his serve and then boom...in the tie-break he hit some really solid backhands.

[don_budge]

Back to back double faults and Nick hands a break to Federer. Federer hammers his service game at love. It almost looks as if Nick has turned up the "too cool for school" another notch and has turned his service game into a typical Kyrgios "nonchalance" effort. He wins it however. Hard to get the rhythm with Nick. But Federer doesn't let it get to him...does he? It has to gall him to a point.

Federer changes his shirt on the changeover...he certainly looks fit.

[stroke]

I think Fed, like me, finds Nick extremely annoying.

[don_budge]

I think Fed, like me, finds Nick extremely annoying.

Lol...the "annoying one" hands Federer a nonchalant break of serve. Roger to serve for the second. Setting the stage for what in the third?

[stroke]

Lol...the "annoying one" hands Federer a nonchalant break of serve. Roger to serve for the second. Setting the stage for what in the third?

If Nick, who is so cluelessly trying to be cool, wants to know what cool really looks like, all he has to do is watch how the guy across the net does everything. At that point, should he have a moment of self reflection, he would see he is about as uncool as possible.

[gzhpcu]

Close call for Federer, who is now number 1 again!

[don_budge]

Roger Federer vs. Anybody (Nick "Curious" Kyrgios)

If Nick, who is so cluelessly trying to be cool, wants to know what cool really looks like, all he has to do is watch how the guy across the net does everything. At that point, should he have a moment of self reflection, he would see he is about as uncool as possible.

What an incredible match up these two end up being. One the antithesis of he other. The interesting obvious detail missing is that Roger is at the tail end of an illustrious career and Nick is where in what looks to be a rather rocky ride. But that aside...Nick is actually the best of the "Anybody's" when it comes to a foil for the "Once and Future King" as I once dubbed Federer. He looks to be the King once again. Really amazing stuff. Historically I will have to admit...we have never seen a player as this one. I do question the depth of the men's tour that makes this possible. But Roger has no control over that. He can only play whoever suits up opposite him.

One has to ask the question though...where were Novak Djokovic and Rafael Nadal this week? Don't they need the grass court warmup. I see Andy Murray has drawn "Curious George" Kyrgios next week at Queens. I wish Nick's first name was George. I love the "Curious" nickname. Curious as in what the hell is going on in that noodle of yours...Nick?

Even so. Kyrgios being the extremely loose and unpredictable canon that he is. He is as I mentioned the best fodder for Federer. When these two take the court you can physically feel the pressure. Strange that Nick is the only player that can bring this out of Federer. The match itself was another electrical affair. Whether it was well played is another question entirely but the outcome was never certain until the horse was finally in the barn. And Federer parked her right in her box with a tremendously played tie-break to offset some brilliant shot making by Nick Kyrgios. When I was watching the warmup I was looking at Kyrgios' backhand and thinking to myself what an inferior stroke it was compared to Federer's. But in the most tight situations in the match Kyrgios pulled off a number of beauties that more or less caught Federer flat-footed...his shot choice was that surprising.

Another tremendous match between Roger Federer and Anybody. Roger brings out the best in anybody that plays him. By that I mean that he makes them interesting in their own right. If only that they are on the opposite side of the court of "The King". Even Kyrgios was more or less on his best behaviour and from start to finish he was not only a fine entertainer but he was a good sport. A tremendous sport as a matter of fact. Too bad that he cannot find this energy every time he takes the court. It's a sin to waste talent. One of the more serious sins of human existence. When the two shook hands at the end it was still a struggle for control and the two competitors walked away with nearly a draw on the hand shake. Nick shakes the hand and offers a couple of words...what they were is probably unimportant. Then he is off...changing his tennis shoes for the basketball shoes. Another curious thing. Why the basketball shoes worn onto the court? This guy is a real enigma and I get the feeling that is exactly what he wants.

[don_budge]

No Muss...No Fuss. Roger Federer in Straight Sets.

Close call for Federer, who is now number 1 again!

A nice neat, clinical takedown of Canada's resident Big Lug, Milos Raonic. Roger worked himself into midseason form during the week. The match against Nikos Kyrgios was a dandy. This was possibly less compelling due to the subdued personality of Milos but no less convincing. When it came down to crunch time in both of these matches Roger answered the bell. On big points he came up with big shots when he needed them.

Very, very impressive. I guess he deserves to be number one in the world. I guess he deserves to drive away with that nice brand spanking new Mercedes as well. Perhaps he may have liked the Porsche Cayenne as a change of pace. He probably already has a few Mercedes in the garage.