Madrid 2017 R3: Rafael Nadal vs Nick Kyrgios

[Deleted member 733170]

And some people still insist that Kyrgios is the future of the sport!!!!

When he double faults on his high risk second serve, much like the wizard in the Wizard of Oz, we realise that there is not much there behind the fanfare.

 

[Lord Anomander]

Nadal will win the French Open if he doesn't get injured. I simply don't see anyone, who can beat him on clay at the moment. Especially not in a best of 5.

Djokovic just isn't good enough at the moment and I won't even start talking about Murray. Nadal would probably shatter Murray's elbow with a DTL forehand.

 

[mightyrick]

This match isn't really any different than any other I've seen where Nadal is returning well (high/deep/no-pace). He makes his opponents hit 3 or 4 would-be winners in order to win a point. Kyrgios (not unlike many other players on tour) simply can't handle that kind of consistent pressure.

Nadal's opponents have one of two possible reactions: 1) Say "the hell with it" and start swinging for the lines, or 2) Start clowning, bailing out of points with dropshots, or try to out-rally Nadal.

Both are recipes for complete failure against Nadal in this form.

 

[tennis_pro]

Everyone has a chance against Novak lately but I thought he played a very solid match against Lopez (was dominant on his serve and was hitting the FH well). I don't see him as an underdog against Nishikori (I know he routined Ferrer) and wouldn't write him off completely against Nadal, especially in Madrid.

Maybe, I still expect a pretty close match tomorrow.

 

[Nick Lynch]

Y'all thought

 

[Poisoned Slice]

Sneaky Rafa in 2 voters after the match started. No shame.

 

[TennisFan3]

Are you serious? Nishikori? Of course Novak can still beat freakin Nishikori and he always has a chance against Nadal (and Fed) no matter his form.

Djokovic always has a chance against Nadal, no matter how bad the Serb plays. It is pretty clear from their matchup when djokovic struggles against other players but handily thrashes Rafa. Nadal will have to beat Djokovic, Murray and maybe Fed on clay before he is put as the firm favorite to RG. As of now, the defending champion in the man to beat.

 

[ACE of Hearts]

If Fed played he would've had Nadal in his QF. Not saying he would've lost for sure but it wouldn't be worth killing himself for 100 points in a MS tournament. Fed made the right decision to skip the entire clay season outside of the FO.

Idk about that. He has been off for awhile now. Playing one of these tournaments wouldn't hurt. The guy stays in shape

 

[Gazelle]

Poor Nick. Poisoned by his enemies, once again.

 

[Hitman's Gurl]

Rafa really is looking good today! Better than yesterday.

I saw that Novak match earlier. He is looking good. I hope Rafa will be ready for him if they play in semi.

 

[2HBH-DTL]

The NextGeneration never fails to dissapoint. Everytime they get your hopes up by putting together a few good performances, they throw in an absolute stinker to show your folly. (Kyrgios today, Zverev in MC, and countless other times)

Credit to Zverev for winning a title last week and making a strong run here. He's playing great right now.

 

[clayqueen]

Djokovic always has a chance against Nadal, no matter how bad the Serb plays. It is pretty clear from their matchup when djokovic struggles against other players but handily thrashes Rafa. Nadal will have to beat Djokovic, Murray and maybe Fed on clay before he is put as the firm favorite to RG. As of now, the defending champion in the man to beat.

And he will be beaten.

 

[ACE of Hearts]

I don't expect kyrgios to do much on clay including the french.

 

[tennis_pro]

Obviously, but I fear you're answering someone with zilch knowledge of tennis.

Kyrgios was a totally different player in that match against Fed.
This showing of his is actually so ridiculously bad that I indeed wonder if he isn't ill or anything the like.

Exactly. Having watched tennis for 10+ years I can honestly say that I've never seen such a big difference in a player's highest heights and lowest lows. He almost played like an ATG in Miami and today he's like a 4.0 hacker after 2 beers.

 

[Lord Anomander]

And some people still insist that Kyrgios is the future of the sport!!!!

He probably is, because he is better than Zverev on 2 out of 3 surfaces. But it highly depends on his attitude and motivation. He is still able to produce higher quality tennis than other youngsters, but he really needs to want it. Nadal broke him, because he cannot score easy winners or aces against Nadal (even with very good shots/serves). I've never expected Kyrgios to do great on clay though and everyone who thought he could push Nadal to his limits on clay was a little delusional.

 

[zagor]

TBH despite Nick clowning around I do think Nadal is hitting the ball well today.

 

[yharzu]

Credit to Zverev for winning a title last week and making a strong run here. He's playing great right now.

yes! Zverev is steadily improving and mentally already very tough imho

 

[clayqueen]

Nadal wins:
63 61
Who's afraid of Krygios?

 

[tennis_pro]

Idk about that. He has been off for awhile now. Playing one of these tournaments wouldn't hurt. The guy stays in shape

Don't worry, Fed is probably training as we speak.

 

[TheMusicLover]

And... Breadstick served fresh!

Congrats to Rafa, very solid performance, absolutely toying with his opponent - not unlike what he did to Zverev not that long ago.

 

[ojo rojo]

Ouch. Poor.

 

[Adv. Edberg]

And some people still insist that Kyrgios is the future of the sport!!!!

When he double faults on his high risk second serve, much like the wizard in the Wizard of Oz, we realise that there is not much there behind the fanfare.

He is the future. That's the sad part. Weak era.

 

[jaggy]

I like to wait until it is over

Sneaky Rafa in 2 voters after the match started. No shame.

 

[zagor]

Djokovic always has a chance against Nadal, no matter how bad the Serb plays. It is pretty clear from their matchup when djokovic struggles against other players but handily thrashes Rafa. Nadal will have to beat Djokovic, Murray and maybe Fed on clay before he is put as the firm favorite to RG. As of now, the defending champion in the man to beat.

Nadal is a firm favourite for FO, silly to deny it at this point (Murray is in terrible form and Fed isn't even playing). I do agree that Novak always has a shot against Nadal regardless of how much he has struggled during a tourney.

 

[Zebrev]

Just goes to show - Zverev is the future, not Kurious!

 

[tennis_pro]

Nadal wins:
63 61
Who's afraid of Krygios?

Don't get cocky. 6-3 6-1 was 95% Kyrgios.

How many aces did he hit? Like 1?

 

[Poisoned Slice]

I like to wait until it is over

if you're gonna do it, do it right.

 

[rainingaces]

Nadal didn't even play at 75%.

 

[ojo rojo]

Nick was poo. You're correct.

 

[2HBH-DTL]

Patheti-rgios

 

[TennisFan3]

And he will be beaten.

It could happen, but definitely not guaranteed.
It would be strange to put Nadal as the favorite, when he hasn't beaten Djokovic, Murray or Fed this year.
Last time Nadal-Djoko played in RG, it wasn't competitive.

Nadal is the greatest clay court player ever and he could turn the clock and wipe out everyone.
But he is no longer in his prime and has to prove that he can still play at the level he used to. Winning MC/Barca doesn't change that.

 

[Steve0904]

Are you serious? Nishikori? Of course Novak can still beat freakin Nishikori and he always has a chance against Nadal (and Fed) no matter his form.

Yeah. Agree. That whole exchange on the last page baffled me as well. We all know Djokovic is struggling and I would obviously favour Nadal in a H2H match with him in Madrid right now, but if he can in fact beat Nishikori I don't think Nadal is going to be too happy about it. Yes he'll get a shot at a struggling Djokovic so he can turn the recent history a bit, but if Novak somehow beats Rafa and wins Madrid then Nadal may have a problem on his hands at RG.

 

[Hitman's Gurl]

I think Rafa would like the chance to play Novak this week. I think this is perfect time. But Kei might have something to say.

 

[Gazelle]

Exactly. Having watched tennis for 10+ years I can honestly say that I've never seen such a big difference in a player's highest heights and lowest lows. He almost played like an ATG in Miami and today he's like a 4.0 hacker after 2 beers.

You should watch me play. I have equal difference between heights and lows, although at a much lower level. Last week I got double bagelled by a guy. Yesterday I double breadsticked him. Makes no sense, but some days I jsut don't feel like it.

 

[Backspin1183]

What an effort from Rafael Nadal to upset the TTW match favourite Nick Kyrgios. Should give him a lot of confidence.

 

[tenisdecente]

If Nadal was playing really well (something expected in his less favourite clay toruney) this would be a double 6-0. Kyrgios was absolute trash there from 3-2 in the first set

 

[ojo rojo]

Sheet day for Murray and Kyrgios fans. Why would you root for such lunatics..

 

[ruerooo]

TBH despite Nick clowning around I do think Nadal is hitting the ball well today.

FINALLY, a little credit to the man who also acknowledged he could've played better against Fognini.

Nick isn't clowning, I don't think. His grandfather passed and he came in from Australia, and also his hip is bothering him (conf. Carillo and Annacone).

 

[clayqueen]

Rafa put Krygios in his place.

 

[Djokovic_is_the_best#1]

Rafa is looking invincible right now on clay again. It's like the old days. He could sweep them all and I don't see why not. His level is miles ahead of the rest and 10th French title looks very likely right now.

 

[TearTheRoofOff]

That last point sums it all up. What an absolute joke. It flatters Nadal's already impressive retrieving when you **** up simple putaways.

 

[TheGhostOfAgassi]

Rafa won the match, but he also won another competition- who can speak fastest spanish!

 

[clayqueen]

TBH despite Nick clowning around I do think Nadal is hitting the ball well today.

When was Nick clowning around?

 

[cc0509]

Djokovic always has a chance against Nadal, no matter how bad the Serb plays. It is pretty clear from their matchup when djokovic struggles against other players but handily thrashes Rafa. Nadal will have to beat Djokovic, Murray and maybe Fed on clay before he is put as the firm favorite to RG. As of now, the defending champion in the man to beat.

Sorry but lol. Murray in current form? As for Djokovic, it's possible he could get the competitive juices flowing when he sees Nadal on the other side of the net and beat Nadal but I doubt it. As for Fed, he is the question mark and he's smartly avoiding playing these tune-ups and risking a loss of confidence by losing to Nadal and also he's letting his body rest.

 

[tenisdecente]

FINALLY, a little credit to the man who also acknowledged he could've played better against Fognini.

Nick isn't clowning, I don't think. His grandfather passed and he came in from Australia, and also his hip is bothering him (conf. Carillo and Annacone).

Relax. Even if tio Toni played against Kyrgios today, the aussie would have found a way to lose the match. It was not even funny

 

[Djokovic_is_the_best#1]

Yeah. Agree. That whole exchange on the last page baffled me as well. We all know Djokovic is struggling and I would obviously favour Nadal in a H2H match with him in Madrid right now, but if he can in fact beat Nishikori I don't think Nadal is going to be too happy about it. Yes he'll get a shot at a struggling Djokovic so he can turn the recent history a bit, but if Novak somehow beats Rafa and wins Madrid then Nadal may have a problem on his hands at RG.

As much as I would like to see Novak win. Novak is not beating Rafa on clay at the moment. Rafa is in a very good moment and his confidence is high on his favourite surface. Whereas Novak is at the lowest he been for sometime, however I hope the match up happens and we get a great match. I like Rafa too and have huge respect for him. He's the ultimate warrior.

 

[Tennis wizard]

This match isn't really any different than any other I've seen where Nadal is returning well (high/deep/no-pace). He makes his opponents hit 3 or 4 would-be winners in order to win a point. Kyrgios (not unlike many other players on tour) simply can't handle that kind of consistent pressure.

Nadal's opponents have one of two possible reactions: 1) Say "the hell with it" and start swinging for the lines, or 2) Start clowning, bailing out of points with dropshots, or try to out-rally Nadal.

Both are recipes for complete failure against Nadal in this form.

nope

 

[Djokovic_is_the_best#1]

Rafa put Krygios in his place.

Yeah that I love to see. That guy is way too arrogant, good on Rafa! He's looking supreme right now!

 

[TennisFan3]

Nadal is a firm favourite for FO, silly to deny it at this point (Murray is in terrible form and Fed isn't even playing). I do agree that Novak always has a shot against Nadal regardless of how much he has struggled during a tourney.

Nadal will always be among the top favorites at RG. But this year he hasn't beaten Djokovic and has lost to Federer thrice.

Just because Djokovic doesn't look good right now, doesn't mean he won't look good in RG. He could win one event and get the momentum to blitz through.

Also who knows about Fed. He might come with guns blazing in RG, just as he did earlier in the year.

Time still before RG rolls around. Just declaring Nadal as the firm favorite based on an optional MC and a ATP 500 Barcelona doesn't make sense. Let him play Djoko/Murray/Fed before.

 

[Pavla]

Well, that was incredibly underwhelming. Looking forward to the Nadal/Goffin rematch.