2019 BNP Paribas Open...ATP 1000...Indian Wells, Californa

[don_budge]

https://www.atptour.com/en/scores/current/indian-wells/404/draws?matchtype=singles

Nick Kyrgios and Novak Djokovic projected for an early confrontation in the third round. Project Roger Federer into the semifinals against Rafael Nadal who is fresh off of a Kyrgios spanking down in Acapulco, Mexico. Mexico threatening to build a wall to keep Nick at bay. Stefanos Tsitsipas set to possibly face another up and comer in the second round...Felix Auger-Aliassime. It's not as hard to spell as it looks.

They are all here. Whoops...regarding the projection of Roger into the semis...I didn't see "Stanimal" Wawrinka lurking there in the third round. I'll be back once I get my legs back under me in a couple of days. Keep me posted.

[stroke]

Yes, that 3rd round match up with Novak and Nick will be something. Should be a great tournament.

[bottle]

Yup.

[don_budge]

Yes, that 3rd round match up with Novak and Nick will be something. Should be a great tournament.

Yes...that should be a doozy if "Curious George" shows up and "The Jerk" stays in the hotel room. Novak usually shows up to play...great competitor. But look here now that the draw has been filled in.

https://www.atptour.com/en/scores/current/indian-wells/404/draws

Stan "The Man" Wawrinka draws "Little" Daniel Evans in the first round. I really like this Evans fellow. Some do not, to which I say to each his own. But Evans likes to attack and Wawrinka sometimes plays way back behind the baseline. Not quite the Kyrgios vs. Djokovic dynamic but it has possibilities. Particularly because Evans has clawed his way through the qualifying round and is used to the conditions right from the get go. If he can jump on Wawrinka in the first set...well we'll see. Federer vs. Wawrinka would have just as much watchability appeal as the Kyrgios vs. Djokovic. But of course everyone will have to win some matches first.

It's going to be a great tournament. Yes...it will.

[klacr]

my favorite event. What an awesome venue and treat for all the players. Amazing scenery as well. Hoping Federer, Djokovic, Nadal, Wawrinka and Berdych remain healthy and showcase their best stuff.

Kyle LaCroix USPTA
Boca Raton

[stroke]

Great match Nick vs Philipp. Phillip has long been one of my favorites, just such a professional with a beautiful game. Never been able to get to top 10, but he is so good. His professionalism allows him to be completely uneffected at all by whatever Nick histrionics may crop up. This is a worst case match up for Nick.

[stroke]

Big win by FAA

[stotty]

Great match Nick vs Philipp. Phillip has long been one of my favorites, just such a professional with a beautiful game. Never been able to get to top 10, but he is so good. His professionalism allows him to be completely uneffected at all by whatever Nick histrionics may crop up. This is a worst case match up for Nick.

He just let the match go in the end without a fight, so disappointing. He does know how to get stuck in because he's managed it before but so seldom does he do it. It's such a waste of talent, it really is.

[don_budge]

Big win by FAA

Business as usual by Felix. He has now taken eight of nine sets from Tsitsipas going back to their junior days. Felix is quite a specimen. Physically he has really developed since I believe it was hockeyscout who introduced him to the forum. Growing pains for Stefanos and Felix has a full head of steam. The Tsitsipas serve was not as domineering as it should be.

[don_budge]

Match of the Day...Felix Auger-Aliassime vs. Yoshihito Nishioka

This little guy has taken down Denis Kudla and Roberto Bautista-Agut so far. But Felix is a cat by another name. This guy means it when he steps on the court. Nick "The Jerk" could take a page out of his book. In fact...he could take a page out of either of their books. No doubt what Yoshihito lacks in size he makes up for in heart.

https://www.atptour.com/en/players/fedex-head-2-head/felix-auger-aliassime-vs-yoshihito-nishioka/AG37/N732

[stroke]

Milos really looked good out there. His serve looked the usual best in tennis to me, and he was volleying well. Even hitting his forehand very well, even though his form on that side may not be the prettiest. He always looks like a threat to win big titles to me, but those 3 guys are always around to deny him.

[stroke]

Struff is really taking it to Alex. Struff seems to have it all, size and power wise. A Safin type build. He is 28 years old and never been better than mid 40's ranking. Hard to believe. He is hitting Alex off the court. His forehand is clearly more dynamic than Alex's to me.

[don_budge]

Struff is really taking it to Alex. Struff seems to have it all, size and power wise. A Safin type build. He is 28 years old and never been better than mid 40's ranking. Hard to believe. He is hitting Alex off the court. His forehand is clearly more dynamic than Alex's to me.

Alex what's his name looked really flat. Uncharacteristically unmotivated. Was that a double fault on match point? I wonder what Ivan Lendl thinks of his work in progress now. Sometimes you have to one step back to go two steps forwards but Alexander...can't think of his last name...seems to have virtually stalled in mid-flight. Is he going to crash? Certainly he looks to be a victim of too much expectations too quickly. Some of his early achievements seemed to be a bit tainted to me. Like at the O2 in the winter...somehow everyone just seemed to lay down in front of him. Some of his early tournament wins looked to be the same. But now everyone is on to him. Jan-Lennard Struff certainly did have more stuff on his forehand. He was doing his best to pick Zverev's game apart...there I finally remembered it. Struff was playing the forehand at times...he was changing the pace to the backhand at times. But all in all...I would say that the match analysis was failure on Zverev's part as opposed to something exceptional on Struff's part.

You mentioned Milos Raonic too. I watched the first set and the hard luck kid really took it to him. But Raonic should take this kid down routinely and he did...after the first set. The match of the day was the diminutive Japanese fellow versus Felix "The Cat" Auger-Aliassime. What a tough little competitor. Another unknown to me...Miomir Kecmanovic. Nineteen year old from Serbia. Three straight wins and he draws the tough little Yoshihito Nishioka. That should be quite interesting and the winner of that match plays the winner of Struff and Raonic.

The two matches tonight that have star power are Roger Federer versus Not Just Anybody...Stanislas Wawrinka. Two Swiss compatriots face off and sometimes this one really hits pay dirt. They can light it up but it all depends upon Stan. It depends on his performance. The good thing about Stan is he isn't necessarily defeated in the lockerroom with this match up. He has to feel that it is just a matter of time before things should even up if just a tad. He must feel he deserves a win...sometime. Anytime soon would be nice. But Roger being Roger loves to torture his long time friend...so much so the last time they played here at Indian Wells Wawrinka returned the compliment of Federer thrashing him yet again by calling him an "asshole" during the awards ceremony. They must have played in the finals a couple of years ago.

Thing are shaping up for the things to come now in this tournament. It's funny how when Roger Federer is in the draw it is a whole another tournament than when he isn't. So far he is and he appears to be in rather good form. Carry on.

[arturohernandez]

Alex what's his name looked really flat. Uncharacteristically unmotivated. Was that a double fault on match point? I wonder what Ivan Lendl thinks of his work in progress now. Sometimes you have to one step back to go two steps forwards but Alexander...can't think of his last name...seems to have virtually stalled in mid-flight. Is he going to crash? Certainly he looks to be a victim of too much expectations too quickly. Some of his early achievements seemed to be a bit tainted to me. Like at the O2 in the winter...somehow everyone just seemed to lay down in front of him. Some of his early tournament wins looked to be the same. But now everyone is on to him. Jan-Lennard Struff certainly did have more stuff on his forehand. He was doing his best to pick Zverev's game apart...there I finally remembered it. Struff was playing the forehand at times...he was changing the pace to the backhand at times. But all in all...I would say that the match analysis was failure on Zverev's part as opposed to something exceptional on Struff's part.

Thing are shaping up for the things to come now in this tournament. It's funny how when Roger Federer is in the draw it is a whole another tournament than when he isn't. So far he is and he appears to be in rather good form. Carry on.

Tennis is still tennis and what was true yesterday is still true today.

Everyone is playing up how the players are getting taller and taller. Yes, but up to a point and that point is about 6'4". Over that height and it is just too difficult to play inside the court. Remember Fed drop shoting Delpo to death at the FO a few years ago.

Zverev is just too tall. His brother is the right height but not as talented.

Height gives you a huge advantage in the juniors and I think that is why we are getting so many tall players now.

But in the end 6'1" to me is still ideal and has been for the last 20 years.

It's the reason that Tsitsipas may not quite scale the heights of great champions. He also has a relatively weak slice. I am not sure why the current crop of one handers have not realized how important the slice is. Even Stan the Man uses the slice to great effect.

The cat Auger looks great. Fast and very fluid strokes. His forehand and serve have the very nice loose wrist used in a clearly more passive manner. Just as John would suggest in his articles on the use of the wrist.

At 6'3" he is in the right range. And he is very fast. He was just covering everything and making Tsitsipas look like he was playing in Dimitrovland.

[don_budge]

Tennis is still tennis and what was true yesterday is still true today.

Everyone is playing up how the players are getting taller and taller.

The one thing that is not true today that was true yesterday is the size of the racquets. The size of the players? Little 5' 7" Yoshihito Nishioka tees it up against the unheard of Miomir Kecmanovic and Ivo Karlovic at 6' 11" tall is going to tee it up to the optimal 6' 1" Dominic Thiem. If Thiem has that deer in the headlights look it isn't going to matter at all. Optimal height? How tall is Roger Federer? How tall is Pete Sampras? Any questions? 6' 1" tall...my height.

Speaking of optimal heights...how about that Roger Federer? Thirty-seven years old and still going strong. Novak Djokovic took a powder as Philipp Kohlshrieber dusted him off in the round of 32...6-4, 6-4. Instead of Nick Kyrgios versus Novak Djokovic we have all Philipp Kohlshreiber instead. He whacked them both. Interesting indeed.

But back to Mr. Federer. See Roger fly. He takes down fellow Swiss Stanislas Wawrinka in a straight set dust off himself. I watched the highlights...watch them yourself and see Roger make Stan play at least two dimensional tennis as he not only plays a bit at the net himself but brings Stan forwards with a slew of drop shots. If your opponent likes to play way back...bring him forwards when he doesn't want to come forwards. Pure Bill Tilden whether Federer realizes it or not.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4HQ00gSoeU0

Nishikori loses to the number 67 ranked player in the world in two consecutive tournaments. Cilic loses to Shapovalov. They are falling like flies. Can we pencil in Federer over Kyle Edmund yet? Better not and be intelligently cautious. Can we project a Shapovalov versus Federer in the quarterfinals? Let's not get ahead of ourselves. What about the possibilities of a Roger Federer versus Rafael Nadal semifinal? Too much to hope for? Then Roger versus Anybody in the final? Easy don_budge...you are in uncharted territory. Just keep that point in front of your nose in focus. Just like Roger is doing. Even though he has excellent peripheral vision he would never admit it. Never let on that he does. One match at a time. One point at a time. Thirty-seven years and ticking. Like a fine wine. The Swiss Maestro. Expectations are low because that's how he rolls. It's all icing on the cake at this point. That's how it is when you are "The Living Proof".