2020 Australian Open R4: Rafael Nadal [1] vs Nick Kyrgios [23]

Winner

  • Nadal in 3

    Votes: 26 18.7%
  • Nadal in 4

    Votes: 62 44.6%
  • Nadal in 5

    Votes: 7 5.0%
  • Kyrgios in 3

    Votes: 5 3.6%
  • Kyrgios in 4

    Votes: 28 20.1%
  • Kyrgios in 5

    Votes: 11 7.9%

  • Total voters
    139

clayqueen

Talk Tennis Guru
...or it’s prime time viewing set for prime time in Australia maybe?
The AO organisers have form in fixing schedules to their advantage. I'm sure it will be a night match.
Australia Day on monday public holiday
Aussies like to drink beer when watching big sporting events so a midday start means less hangover on tuesday going back to work and probably a better time slot for the world
 

marc45

G.O.A.T.
According to an Australian, Monday is a public holiday in Australia so prime time is day time to allow them to get drunk during a daytime match in order to recover in time to go to work on Tuesday.

should be a raucous atmosphere then...they did change fireworks time or place, no ?
 
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Deleted member 763691

Guest
It's a night match because it's prime time, baby. Nick K is HOLLYWOOD. He ONLY gets shown during PRIME.TIME.

Why is the night a disadvantage for Nadal? Do the stadium lights go through his spray on hair or something????
Except only about 1% of Hollywood celebrities would even know who Kyrgios is, while everyone knows who Rafa is :)
Part of the problem is he hasn't made a slam Quarterfinal since 2015.....and he won't be making one this year either.
 
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Deleted member 763691

Guest
LOL you feel that everyone in the entire universe is against Rafa!!! :laughing: :-D :laughing:
I mean they slowed all the courts down for Rafa across all the Slams to favour his style. Turned Wimbledon into green clay. Slowed down the USO surface as well. What more do you want??
Rafa consistently says he prefers faster hardcourts.
Do you really think an injury-prone 33-year-old wants to grind? :)
And Rafa has lost about 30% of his quickness since 2010.....so he can no longer rely on retrieving.
So he wins Montreal now, the fastest hardcourt in the world-
Z70zrrL.jpg
 

Mike Sams

G.O.A.T.
Rafa consistently says he prefers faster hardcourts.
Do you really think an injury-prone 33-year-old wants to grind? :)
And Rafa has lost about 30% of his quickness since 2010.....so he can no longer rely on retrieving.
So he wins Montreal now, the fastest hardcourt in the world-
Z70zrrL.jpg
That's like saying a person is faster than the fastest tortoise! LOL Canada is still slow as hell. You can run down every single ball on that surface.
 

tonylg

Legend
Kyrgios v Nadal is the hottest ticket in town. I have mates who bought tickets when Nick went up 2-0 against Karen. I almost did too. They were nervous for a while :-D Funny enough, Ticketmaster jacked the price up the moment Kyrgios won that match tiebreaker.

No way I'd pay money to watch Nadal play a fourth round match otherwise. No-one was talking about the Djokovic match or even the Federer match. No-one is even talking about their quarters except that Roger's opponent has a funny name.

It would be the same if it was Kyrgios v one of them, but it's not. The match is box office because it's Kyrgios v Big3. The fact it's the salty one rather than the GOAT or the cringey one who wants to be loved, makes no difference.
 

Raul_SJ

G.O.A.T.
Kyrgios v Nadal is the hottest ticket in town. I have mates who bought tickets when Nick went up 2-0 against Karen. I almost did too. They were nervous for a while :-D Funny enough, Ticketmaster jacked the price up the moment Kyrgios won that match tiebreaker.

Isn't Ticketmaster just supposed to charge a fixed fee above the ticket face value?
That is outrageous.
:mad:

Would be great for tennis for Nick to knock off Rafa, but it will never happen.
We are dealing with a GOAT versus a solid Top 20 obnoxious man-child who has shown absolutely nothing at slams. Look for that to continue.
 

tonylg

Legend
Isn't Ticketmaster just supposed to charge a fixed fee above the ticket face value?
That is outrageous.
:mad:

Perhaps their fee didn't change, but ticket prices on their site went up within seconds of Nick's match ending.

I doubt that would have happened if Khachenov had won, but I do know my mates were ready to write a Gumtree ad.
 

Raul_SJ

G.O.A.T.
Perhaps their fee didn't change, but ticket prices on their site went up within seconds of Nick's match ending.

I doubt that would have happened if Khachenov had won, but I do know my mates were ready to write a Gumtree ad.

Will Nick be the fan favorite?
It seemed like at least 70% of the crowd was cheering for Fed when poor Aussie Millman choked.
 
Will Nick be the fan favorite?
It seemed like at least 70% of the crowd was cheering for Fed when poor Aussie Millman choked.
Absolutely. Nadal and Federer are not on the same planet popularity wise. It was awful how they treated Federer like their own over Millman though.
 

Raul_SJ

G.O.A.T.
Absolutely. Nadal and Federer are not on the same planet popularity wise. It was awful how they treated Federer like their own over Millman though.

The Aussie Millman was far more likeable than Kyrgios.
If the crowd turned on Millman, they will turn on man-child Kyrgios too.
:(
 
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clayqueen

Talk Tennis Guru
Rafa consistently says he prefers faster hardcourts.
Do you really think an injury-prone 33-year-old wants to grind? :)
And Rafa has lost about 30% of his quickness since 2010.....so he can no longer rely on retrieving.
So he wins Montreal now, the fastest hardcourt in the world-
Z70zrrL.jpg
Some people haven't moved on. They still think of Rafa and Roger as they played in their early career - a lot of them still think Roger plays S&V.
 

Nostradamus

Bionic Poster
ALL the hype around this match.... it most likely will be routine win for RAFA. Kyrios has been plagued with horrible conditioning all his career,,, Mainly cause he doesn't train like top guys like novak and Thiem does. Nick will be tired in next match and not much of challenge for rafa. That is the story of Nick's career,,,,, just Not in good enough shape to go 5 sets and go win 7 matches ,,,,, he just isn't in shape
 
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Deleted member 763691

Guest
Absolutely. Nadal and Federer are not on the same planet popularity wise. It was awful how they treated Federer like their own over Millman though.
I was at the 2009 Australian Open Final, and Rafa received more crowd support than Federer :)
Also, Rafa is more popular than Federer in social media (Twitter+Facebook+Instagram), easily.
 

weelie

Professional
ALL the hype around this match.... it most likely will be routine win for RAFA. Kyrios has been plagued with horrible conditioning all his career,,, Mainly cause he doesn't train like top guys like novak and Thiem does. Nick will be tired in next match and not much of challenge for rafa. That is the story of Nick's career,,,,, just Not in good enough shape to go 5 sets and go win 7 matches ,,,,, he just isn't in shape

Agreed. Nick was milking the crowd after his previous match, acting like he barely survived. He is sub-conciously already preparing some crowd milking losing strategy, like an injury or similar. (Then again, there is some risk of Nadal pulling out as well...)

But it has been wonderful to see Kyrgios really try to win! I think his bushfire saint status has made him more proud of himself, or something, making him try harder.
 

rhoder

Rookie
Agreed. Nick was milking the crowd after his previous match, acting like he barely survived. He is sub-conciously already preparing some crowd milking losing strategy, like an injury or similar. (Then again, there is some risk of Nadal pulling out as well...)

But it has been wonderful to see Kyrgios really try to win! I think his bushfire saint status has made him more proud of himself, or something, making him try harder.

Nah he tried real hard in Wimbledon last year as well. I think it’s more likely facing Nadal incentivises him rather than the bushfire thing motivating him
 

TennisFan3

Talk Tennis Guru
It is worth remembering that both Djokovic and Federer did not have their draws pan out. Seeded and inform players lost before facing Novak and Fed. They avoided Tsitispas and Shapo and other inform players.

Nadal, however, was not so lucky. His draw from hell is shaping up to be just as predicted. No one lost in his quarter. He will be facing Kygrios. And should be somehow prevail, it will be Theim and Medvedev in succession. This and Wimb 2019 for Nadal have been draws from hell..
 
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Deleted member 763691

Guest
It is worth remembering that both Djokovic and Federer did not have their draws pan out. Seeded and inform players lost before facing Novak and Fed. They avoided Tsitispas and Shapo and other inform players.

Nadal, however, was not so lucky. His draw from hell is shaping up to be just as predicted. No one lost in his quarter. He will be facing Kygrios. And should be somehow prevail, it will be Theim and Medvedev in succession. This and Wimb 2019 for Nadal have been draws from hell..
"He will be facing Kygrios. And should be somehow prevail" :)
Joking, right?
The odds are Kyrgios won't even win a set.
On top of that, the points are very low-energy, plenty of cheap points.
Khachanov would have taken a lot more energy out of Rafa.
And Rafa was extremely close to beating Medvdev in straight sets at the 2019 US Open Final, Rafa was up 2 sets and a break.
So its very possible that Rafa will beat Medvedev in straight sets.....plus Zverev is 5-1 vs. Medvedev.
So the only match in Rafa's draw that I'm sure will be difficult.....is Thiem.
 

Forehanderer

Professional
Nick Kyrgios will try to unsettle bull with underarm serving tactics and mimicing picking butt but will only knock himself out in 4 sets. Bull - "He can be a great player when he wants to". Nick - "nah mate. im just into guzzling beer after matches and talking up some chick in the bar"
 
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Deleted member 763691

Guest
I've never seen a player try to distract another player more than what Krygios did in their 2019 Wimbledon meeting.....and despite all that, Rafa won BOTH the tiebreakers :)
And Kyrgios had never lost a tiebreaker to Rafa before that match.
 

tudwell

G.O.A.T.
Hoping for a tight affair like their Wimbledon match last year. I think that’s about the best case scenario for Kyrgios, too. This court’s a lot slower than the grass at Wimbledon, which will neutralize his serve a bit more. He’ll have the crowd on his side and his usual belief and determination against Nadal, but Nadal is just simply the much better player and should be able to break down Kyrgios’s limited offense as the match wears on. Nick’s return just isn’t good enough to beat Nadal in best-of-five (Wimbledon 2014 notwithstanding).
 
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Deleted member 763691

Guest
Hoping for a tight affair like their Wimbledon match last year. I think that’s about the best case scenario for Kyrgios, too. This court’s a lot slower than the grass at Wimbledon, which will neutralize his serve a bit more. He’ll have the crowd on his side and his usual belief and determination against Nadal, but Nadal is just simply the much better player and should be able to break down Kyrgios’s limited offense as the match wears on. Nick’s return just isn’t good enough to beat Nadal in best-of-five (Wimbledon 2014 notwithstanding).
And even at 2014 Wimbledon Krygios only broke Rafa's serve ONCE in the whole match, and that is the most significant match of Krygios' career.
And when Kyrgios beat Rafa at 2019 Acapulco, he never broke Rafa's serve, and Rafa won 10 more points than Krygios in the match :)
Kyrgios will most likely need to win 3 tiebreakers to beat Rafa at the AO....
So the first question is - can Kyrgios hold serve for the entirety of 3 sets?
 

clayqueen

Talk Tennis Guru
I was at the 2009 Australian Open Final, and Rafa received more crowd support than Federer :)
Also, Rafa is more popular than Federer in social media (Twitter+Facebook+Instagram), easily.
Federer's popularity is exaggerated by the commentators. Chris Bradnam said he got more support than Millman from his home crowd during their match to which Frew McMillan replied that that's not how he saw it. He said Fedr got some support but the majority were for Millman.
 

Nostradamus

Bionic Poster
Agreed. Nick was milking the crowd after his previous match, acting like he barely survived. He is sub-conciously already preparing some crowd milking losing strategy, like an injury or similar. (Then again, there is some risk of Nadal pulling out as well...)

But it has been wonderful to see Kyrgios really try to win! I think his bushfire saint status has made him more proud of himself, or something, making him try harder.

I don't think he will make injury an excuse. but in next round , I think he will genuinely run out of gas. he doesn't work on fitness so he gets really tired in these best of 5 set Majors. this is even more true if he has tough 5 setter in previous round... Not sure why he doesnt' work on fitness cause if he does, he could win 1 or 2 majors. but no more than that though. it will be a real Shame on him if he doesnt' retire with at least 2 majors... because he is so much better than guys like Roddick
 

clayqueen

Talk Tennis Guru
Kyrgios will go on and on about Rafa's timekeeping and not being ready to receive. The commentators condone that kind of behaviour for reasons that escape me.
 

3fees

G.O.A.T.
Saint Nick has his hands full if you can serve very well this match can go to extended sets.

Cheers
3Fees :)
 

merwy

G.O.A.T.
I expect something along the lines of their last Wimbledon match tbh. I was watching the last set of the Kyrgios and Khachanov match and I didn't feel like Kyrgios was making that many first serves. On the other hand, mentally Kyrgios might be in the best shape he's ever been and that has always been his biggest weakness.
 

BGod

G.O.A.T.
Will Nick be the fan favorite?
It seemed like at least 70% of the crowd was cheering for Fed when poor Aussie Millman choked.
Absolutely. Nadal and Federer are not on the same planet popularity wise. It was awful how they treated Federer like their own over Millman though.

I agree I think it'll be at least 60% Kyrgios. Let's not forgot Nadal hasn't won in Australia since 2009. That means people under 15/16 don't recall him winning it and those under 20 don't have an attachment likely.

What younger people remember now is him losing in 5 to Federer in his epic comeback and getting drubbed by Novak last year. Last time an Australian man made final was 2005. Last time one won was 76.
 

BeatlesFan

Bionic Poster
Yeah, that gif is from first Star wars movies, that's like 40 years ago, maybe that's why you didn't recognize him.
This guy is 2,000 years ago. Anyone recognize him?
Long-Term-Supply-3D-Pictures-of-Jesus-Christ.jpg


Using the logic that "it was 40 years ago, so I don't have to know anything about it" means you couldn't pick out Hitler, Stalin or Churchill in a crowd. It's pathetic, truly. In the social media generation, if it didn't happen in the last 5 minutes, it's apparently irrelevant.
 

Topspin_80

Hall of Fame
Kyrgios was broken just once in this 4 hours match. Hit 33 aces. Probably going to serve even more of them against Nadal.
Of the currently active players, Nadal is the best returner, followed by Djokovic.
Hard to picture Kyrgios hitting that many on Nadal.
He'll probably hit around 20.
But Nadal is a smart guy, he's gonna cook an already cooked Kyrgios to the point where Nick will be wobbling, and probably throw a tantrum.

Nadal in 3.

Can Kyrgios get a set? If he goes all out the 1st set might take it to the tiebreak, then he has a chance.

Kyrgios ain't nothing but brawn.
Nadal, is a well balanced mix of brain and brawn.
 

TennisFan3

Talk Tennis Guru
This guy is 2,000 years ago. Anyone recognize him?
Long-Term-Supply-3D-Pictures-of-Jesus-Christ.jpg


Using the logic that "it was 40 years ago, so I don't have to know anything about it" means you couldn't pick out Hitler, Stalin or Churchill in a crowd. It's pathetic, truly. In the social media generation, if it didn't happen in the last 5 minutes, it's apparently irrelevant.

Excellent post @BeatlesFan. Can't agree any more and couldn't have said it any better Sir.
 
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