2019 Australian Open...ATP 2000...Melbourne, Australia

[stotty]

Medvedev looks like he's getting tired. I hope he has something left in the tank to make a fight of it. I just love his ability to steer the ball...and at times to use every inch of the court.

No keeping the racket on the playing side of the body for Medvedev...another Chardy.

[don_budge]

Brutal loss for PCB vs Kei. Unfortunate the controversial end 5th set tiebreaker.

Brutal match for both players. To play from two sets down and win is just a great sportsman's accomplishment. At the end there was a controversial call and this is where everything is hanging together by a thread for the players. A call like that can break you unless you are Superman and just able to let it go and finish.

[stroke]

Next matches oddmakers favorites chances of winning: Stephanos 54%, Nadal 95%, Milos 84%, Novak 85%.

[stotty]

Plenty of work ahead for the potential finalists. Stephanos, should he get to Nadal, will be the most interesting match for me. We will get to see just how good his backhand is in that one. Nadal's next match, in theory, should be the most straightforward.

Agut is the form form of his life so I am not expecting it to be straightforward for Stephanos.

I see the Pouille v Coric match only had a less than half full stadium today. Serena and Halep had a full house. So women's tennis can still draw the crowds if you have the right names involved.

Serena played an incredible first set and looked like she might steam straight through Halep. Halep played great in the second set to level matters. I missed the third set.

[stroke]

Stephanos will definitely have to put his hard hat on and be ready to go back to work as RBA sure will not give him anything. It will be interesting to see if someone other that Nadal and Novak can win this tournament. Raonic is always a threat with his serve, and Stephanos seems to have it all, the game and the mental toughness. Now it is time to see how the young Tiafoe handles the same kind of match pressure vs Nadal that Stephanos handled so well vs Roger.

[gzhpcu]

Great play by Serena. Nice to see her comeback.

[stotty]

Great play by Serena. Nice to see her comeback.

Those kind of matches of Serena's are actually good to watch, especially at the moment. She's playing with so much at stake trying to catch Margaret Court that the tension at times in the latter stages of slams is tangible. If opponents can hang on to her coattails and keep it tight, they can win a set or even the match. Serena is going to be mightily relieved if and when she ever wins 25 slam titles to better Margaret Court.

[don_budge]

Stefanos Tsitsipas...

The Book is Bill Tilden. The Model is Richard Gonzalez with the Don Budge backhand. The Coach is Harry Hopman. Roger Federer is the Living Proof.

Then there was Stefanos Tsitsipas.

[gzhpcu]

Great to see a worthy heir apparent to Federer. Go Tsitsipas!

[don_budge]

Stefanos Tsitsipas...

The Book is Bill Tilden. The Model is Richard Gonzalez with the Don Budge backhand. The Coach is Harry Hopman. Roger Federer is the Living Proof.

Then there was Stefanos Tsitsipas.

Great to see a worthy heir apparent to Federer. Go Tsitsipas!

Yes...we are witnessing an event here. In fact we already have. It's only the beginning in what will be hopefully a long and successful career. But so much is in play. The future? Nobody knows. But one thing is for sure...don_budge was on to this kid very early on. I remember writing klacr a note via email about this kid and he relayed it to the forum. I was on hiatus and was sending an alert to the forum from my lair here. Stefanos Tsitsipas was front and centre on my radar screen.

It's strange or not...but he seems to fit the paradigm of the don_budge teaching philosophy to a tee. Just this past week Tsitsipas has shown elements of the game of tennis that he had not revealed in all of the play that I have watched from him...and I watched everything once he appeared on the radar. The development is just superb and further validates everything that I have written about tennis and life to this point. Fundamentally his game was built on blocks of rock and not slippery sand. This is the stuff that you build upon. This week it has been the slice backhand, the drop shot, the net play, the approach game and the serve. In other words...everything is coming together. At the end of the Federer match he was just outplaying the Swiss Maestro in every aspect of the game. But that is the difference in age that is most telling. Just two weeks earlier it Roger who gave the lesson. It will be interesting to see what happens in the next match between these two elegant and classy tennis players.

The match against Roberto Bautista-Agut was a match of epic proportion for young Tsitsipas. It was largely a question of nerves. I had a feeling that he would hold his nerve just as I feel he will hold it for the rest of this tournament...no matter what happens. Federer was putting immense pressure and maintaining it in a textbook manner yet the "kid" did not buckle. It only made him stronger, which in itself is a rather unusual reaction, and at the end it was he who was applying the screws and enthusiastically tightening the nuts and bolts on defeating a great, great champion.

Once again all of the wonderful skills of all court tennis were on full display and then some. Every single shot in the book. The trademark elegant backhand. He pounds on the forehand. The serve was booming and he was moving it around. But it was the "other" shots that give me the impression that he has so much potential if he just keeps developing. Some wonderfully timed drop shots to bring the back court player forward. There was a beautiful lob on a key point that got over the head of Bautista and sent him scurrying back to the baseline. The net coverage and a growing ability to move in and close on the net. All of it. There isn't any reason that he won't keep developing. He has built his game on the right principles. The backhand is the key. The Don Budge backhand. It makes it all possible.

Roberto Bautista-Agut was such a great test for Stefanos in this tournament. Roberto has been playing the tennis of his life that past couple of weeks. He won a tournament with Novak Djokovic in the field. His impressive five set wins over Cilic and Murray notwithstanding. His most impressive win may have been a straight set win over Karen Khachanov. He played a beautiful match against Stefanos as well. But as in the end of the Federer match Tsitsipas outplayed him in every facet of the game.

I read in an interview and this is not the first time...Stefanos Tsitsipas likes to surprise people. He might have a surprise or two for Rafael Nadal should they meet. Nadal having beaten him twice. But even if he doesn't he has accomplished so much and the only foreseeable problem on the horizon is the one of premature expectations. Exaggerated expectations. But here is where his father being in his corner is a good thing. Good old DaddyO. Watch and enjoy now. All court tennis. This kid is a breathe of fresh air. A derivative of the classic game. Richard Gonzalez with the Don Budge backhand.

[stotty]

Funny player this Tiafoe. What does anyone on the forum know about him? His body language and other stuff suggests he isn't the brightest kid on the tour. He could be dangerous if he relaxes and opens up. I just get the impression he will make daft decisions at key moments. Hell of a raw talent though.

[stroke]

Stefanos if possible was just as impressive vs RBA as he was vs Fed. He is so watchable out there, there is really not much more to say about him right now. Next round, another very tough ask, litmus test so to speak, vs Nadal. Nadal is no secret, Stefanos does not need to ask anyone what Nadal is going to want to do out there. This depth in men's tennis is something to behold, as db has already pointed out what Stefanos has had to do to get here to the semis. Winning a Major aint't easy. I am very anxious to see how Stefanos deals with Nadal. There have really been only 2 right handers(or tennis players for that matter) that have been able to stand up and deliver under the pressure of that Nadal hook forehand to the ad side of the court, Novak and Roger(post his larger racquet). That is another great thing about Nadal. He is able to deliver the ultimate test, let us see where the other player stands. And I agree with the sentiment on our board here. Lendl passed the baton to Sampras, Sampras to Fed. Fed then had Nadal and Novak join him sharing the baton, a sort of relay so to speak. Now here comes Stefanos.

[stroke]

Funny player this Tiafoe. What does anyone on the forum know about him? His body language and other stuff suggests he isn't the brightest kid on the tour. He could be dangerous if he relaxes and opens up. I just get the impression he will make daft decisions at key moments. Hell of a raw talent though.

Taifoe played fairly well vs Nadal, but that Nadal forehand was just oppressive, he was just playing ping pong out there with that thing, running Tiafoe around to areas of the court he is not familiar with. I think Tiafoe is dangerous, he may end up with a big breakthrough. His forehand is massive.

[stotty]

Nadal looks to be the player in the best form so far this tournament, although he hasn't played anyone really good yet. I think we are all looking forward to the next match. The question on everyone's lips is will the Stephanos backhand hold up...or fold up?

[stroke]

Oddsmakers are not all in on Stephanos yet, they have Nadal at about 81% chance of winning match.