Nishikori is who we thought he was

[DimitrovTheGoat]

Don't say I didn't tell you.


Let's be honest. Wawrinka and Raonic beat themselves in Queens. Nishikori was extremely fortunate to get to the U.S. Open Final. On a normal day, Wawrinka straight sets him like he did tonight.

I appreciate what Nishikori brings to the table, but he's a 5'9" counterpuncher who tries to play like a power player. He should be trying to win the French Open instead of trying play power tennis. Ferrer does the same thing and look at how his career has progressed. The only way I see Nishi getting back to even the SF of a major is if the men's field becomes substantially weaker as Murray, Djokovic, Nadal, and Wawrinka enter their 30's.

With guys like Raonic, Dimitrov, and Kyrgios on the way up, I don't see Nishikori winning a major.

 

[Russeljones]

Don't say I didn't tell you.


Let's be honest. Wawrinka and Raonic beat themselves in Queens. Nishikori was extremely fortunate to get to the U.S. Open Final. On a normal day, Wawrinka straight sets him like he did tonight.

I appreciate what Nishikori brings to the table, but he's a 5'9" counterpuncher who tries to play like a power player. He should be trying to win the French Open instead of trying play power tennis. Ferrer does the same thing and look at how his career has progressed. The only way I see Nishi getting back to even the SF of a major is if the men's field becomes substantially weaker as Murray, Djokovic, Nadal, and Wawrinka enter their 30's.

With guys like Raonic, Dimitrov, and Kyrgios on the way up, I don't see Nishikori winning a major.

I don't get this post. Nishikori is the benchmark for his generation and those below. 1 match does not change that.

 

[tipsa...don'tlikehim!]

from someone who's username is DimitrovTheGOAT

 

[DimitrovTheGoat]

He's a very good player, but I just don't think he'll be able to win a major against a legit player. I actually do think he'll win a major, but I see it coming in a luckament when he gets to play Jack Sock in the Wimbledon Finals.

 

[D.Nalby12]

I think he will win a slam in future. If he gets favourable conditions upper limit for him will be 3-4 slams.

 

[BevelDevil]

Wawrinka played like God. That's pretty much the only take away. The Big 4 would have been an underdog to this version of Stan.

 

[La Grande]

I don't get this post. Nishikori is the benchmark for his generation and those below. 1 match does not change that.

+1

He's a great player and he will continue to get better. I predict a major or two.

 

[BevelDevil]

from someone who's username is DimitrovTheGOAT

interesting. The OP may be giving us a glimpse of the Dimitrov-Nishikori flame wars in the years to come.

 

[TrustTheNinja]

I honestly thought about creating a thread titled Dimitrov is who we thought he was. A scrub.

But i wont stoop down to your level.

 

[Tennis wizard]

Wawrinka played like God. That's pretty much the only take away. The Big 4 would have been an underdog to this version of Stan.

+1 that's all there is too it , When stan is on he is the best player in the world

 

[The Green Mile]

And the flame wars have started! :twisted: You should feel honoured OP.

 

[merwy]

Well he's showing us a lot more than Dimitrov. I'm not even talking about the results. Purely tennis-wise as well, Dimitrov can't hold a candle to Nishikori. Wawrinka was having a very good day, and we shouldn't forget that "Wawrinka on a good day" = "(almost) The Big 4 on a good day". If Wawrinka's off-days weren't that bad, he would still be in the top 4 now.
And Nishikori's average level over a season is better than Wawrinka's, which is why he's ranked as high as he is atm.

 

[Mainad]

Well he's showing us a lot more than Dimitrov. I'm not even talking about the results. Purely tennis-wise as well, Dimitrov can't hold a candle to Nishikori. Wawrinka was having a very good day, and we shouldn't forget that "Wawrinka on a good day" = "(almost) The Big 4 on a good day". If Wawrinka's off-days weren't that bad, he would still be in the top 4 now.
And Nishikori's average level over a season is better than Wawrinka's, which is why he's ranked as high as he is atm.

Wawrinka is in the top 4 now. He is ranked world #4! :wink:

 

[Deleted member 716271]

Don't say I didn't tell you.


Let's be honest. Wawrinka and Raonic beat themselves in Queens. Nishikori was extremely fortunate to get to the U.S. Open Final. On a normal day, Wawrinka straight sets him like he did tonight.

I appreciate what Nishikori brings to the table, but he's a 5'9" counterpuncher who tries to play like a power player. He should be trying to win the French Open instead of trying play power tennis. Ferrer does the same thing and look at how his career has progressed. The only way I see Nishi getting back to even the SF of a major is if the men's field becomes substantially weaker as Murray, Djokovic, Nadal, and Wawrinka enter their 30's.

With guys like Raonic, Dimitrov, and Kyrgios on the way up, I don't see Nishikori winning a major.

The FO is only 1 major though. He does have similarities to Ferrer, an offensive counterpuncher style...without it he'd be overpowered. I agree he is not elite and may not win a slam, although who knows when Djokourrayadal fade. Even Fed is still near the top.

 

[mike danny]

Well he's showing us a lot more than Dimitrov. I'm not even talking about the results. Purely tennis-wise as well, Dimitrov can't hold a candle to Nishikori. Wawrinka was having a very good day, and we shouldn't forget that "Wawrinka on a good day" = "(almost) The Big 4 on a good day". If Wawrinka's off-days weren't that bad, he would still be in the top 4 now.
And Nishikori's average level over a season is better than Wawrinka's, which is why he's ranked as high as he is atm.

Wawrinka is still in the top 4 now. Otherwise he wouldn't have been scheduled to play no.5 Nishikori in the QF and no.1 Djokovic in the SF

 

[reaper]

I think Nishikori will have a very creditable career without winning a major. A few semis, maybe a couple of GS Finals, but I suspect his lack of genuine strike power will see him always find one better.

 

[mike danny]

I think Nishikori will have a very creditable career without winning a major. A few semis, maybe a couple of GS Finals, but I suspect his lack of genuine strike power will see him always find one better.

Do you think he will at least have a Davydenko-like career? These 2 are pretty similar IMO in playing style

 

[okdude1992]

Nishokori disappointed me a little today. But I still think he can win a slam. The Aussie Open surface doesn't suit him as well as the USO, and he had a bad serving day.

 

[Tenez101]

Lol Dimitrov.

 

[King Fed WW]

Absolutely love this thread. Dimitrov troll attacking Kei. You know the next generation has arrived now.

 

[merwy]

Wawrinka is in the top 4 now. He is ranked world #4! :wink:

Wawrinka is still in the top 4 now. Otherwise he wouldn't have been scheduled to play no.5 Nishikori in the QF and no.1 Djokovic in the SF

Well, officially yeah. But obviously I'm talking about current, actual ranking where he's only ranked #9: http://live-tennis.eu/

 

[reaper]

Do you think he will at least have a Davydenko-like career? These 2 are pretty similar IMO in playing style

Davydenko's probably a good comparison. Both clean relatively flat strikers. He's already having a Davydenko type career. He's ranked 5, going well without winning big tournaments and will probably go a little higher as a peak ranking without getting to number 1.

 

[reaper]

Well, officially yeah. But obviously I'm talking about current, actual ranking where he's only ranked #9: http://live-tennis.eu/

That assumes a semi final loss to Djokovic. Both he and Djokovic were hot today and they've shared the honours in great matches at the AO the last 2 years.

 

[reaper]

That live tennis ranking site is very misleading. For example it shows Raonic jumping from 8th to 6th and leaping Berdytch in the process. That's not happening.

 

[Agassifan]

Don't say I didn't tell you.


Let's be honest. Wawrinka and Raonic beat themselves in Queens. Nishikori was extremely fortunate to get to the U.S. Open Final. On a normal day, Wawrinka straight sets him like he did tonight.

I appreciate what Nishikori brings to the table, but he's a 5'9" counterpuncher who tries to play like a power player. He should be trying to win the French Open instead of trying play power tennis. Ferrer does the same thing and look at how his career has progressed. The only way I see Nishi getting back to even the SF of a major is if the men's field becomes substantially weaker as Murray, Djokovic, Nadal, and Wawrinka enter their 30's.

With guys like Raonic, Dimitrov, and Kyrgios on the way up, I don't see Nishikori winning a major.

I agree 100% with your first two paragraphs. I don't agree with your third paragraph as all those new guys have big flaws. But you're right.. Kei is too small to have a big impact in modern tennis.

 

[Fed881981]

OP, I'm not a fan of Nishi and don't really care about him, but jumping to conclusions at this stage is too early and harsh. He has established himself as one of the best players in the world, and his future is remained to be seen.

 

[THUNDERVOLLEY]

Nishikori is who we thought he was

Yes--overrated on this board as the Next Great Player.

 

[Deleted member 3771]

it was interesting to see that Nishikori was getting overpowered and bullied by Stan. Same thing happened when he played Rishard at Kooyong. The commentators were saying that Rishard was hitting a niticeably much heavier ball and that Rishard must be using a very heavy racket, the ninja was having some trouble dealing with it as he was vs Stan. The tv graphic showed that the Ninja was hitting a very high percentage of his shots very short vs Stan. The ninja migth have to start doing some pushups so that he can swing a heavier racket to better deal with the bullies.

 

[Phonco]

Wawrinka was playing amazing; very AO'08 Tsonga-like. I don't think Wawrinka can play much better than that. However, that doesn't mean Nishikori is overrated or anything. That'd be like jumping to the conclusion that Nadal will never win a HC major after losing to Tsonga back in '08. The key aspect is how you play when things don't go your way.

Nishikori played well within himself and showed great mental fortitude. He's pretty much Ferrer but with a much better backhand and serve. He can definitely win a major and it won't be because of luck.

 

[Deleted member 3771]

Wawrinka was playing amazing; very AO'08 Tsonga-like. I don't think Wawrinka can play much better than that. However, that doesn't mean Nishikori is overrated or anything. That'd be like jumping to the conclusion that Nadal will never win a HC major after losing to Tsonga back in '08. The key aspect is how you play when things don't go your way.

Nishikori played well within himself and showed great mental fortitude. He's pretty much Ferrer but with a much better backhand and serve. He can definitely win a major and it won't be because of luck.

He got bullied, but if he made that drop shot in the tie break at 6-6 who knows what may have happened.

 

[The Harkleroad]

That live tennis ranking site is very misleading. For example it shows Raonic jumping from 8th to 6th and leaping Berdytch in the process. That's not happening.

What do you mean?

If Berd loses in the semis he'll be ranked below Raonic in the next official ranking.

The live rankings wipes out the points you are defending and shows exactly the points you are gaining every single match.

 

[Phonco]

He got bullied, but if he made that drop shot in the tie break at 6-6 who knows what may have happened.

That is definitely true. That drop shot was probably the best tactical shot at that moment, but the execution just wasn't there. Second best would have probably been to hit it inside out as Wawrinka was moving toward the forehand side.

Given how the tiebreak played out and Wawrinka mental track record, Nishikori would have probably squeaked out that third set.

 

[La Grande]

That live tennis ranking site is very misleading. For example it shows Raonic jumping from 8th to 6th and leaping Berdytch in the process. That's not happening.

Is it wrong? Im confused now.

 

[romeo8880]

Nishikori has a better chance of winning a major than dimitrov ever will.

 

[Vrad]

Once (if?) the olden generation is done (Murray, Novak, Nadal, Stan), then Kei will be the best player remaining. He is the best player among his contemporaries, and I don't see any of the younger guns being better than him either.

The problem for Kei is if the strain his style of play puts on his body will allow him to have a successful career a few years from now.

 

[Desertman]

Is it wrong? Im confused now.

It's a pretty accurate summation of live points.

 

[InvisibleSoul]

That live tennis ranking site is very misleading. For example it shows Raonic jumping from 8th to 6th and leaping Berdytch in the process. That's not happening.

It's not misleading in the slightest. You just don't understand it.

 

[Sysyphus]

And the flame wars have started! :twisted: You should feel honoured OP.

Lol Dimitrov.

Absolutely love this thread. Dimitrov troll attacking Kei. You know the next generation has arrived now.

lol, I am absolutely loving this new poaster. I'd go as far as to say that he's currently the benchmark against which this new generation of trolls must be measured.

Also, Dimitrov is goat, obviously.

 

[Nostradamus]

from someone who's username is DimitrovTheGOAT

yes yes, grigor is who we thought he was......baby Sharapova.

 

[All-rounder]

Ninjakori is the only one from the so called 'next generation' of players that has made it to a slam final. If he's considered nothing special by the OP then guys like Dimi and Raonic are a joke then.

 

[mike danny]

Davydenko's probably a good comparison. Both clean relatively flat strikers. He's already having a Davydenko type career. He's ranked 5, going well without winning big tournaments and will probably go a little higher as a peak ranking without getting to number 1.

Kei needs 3 masters and a WTF though...

 

[Djesus]

Damn, Raonic/Kei/Dimi don't have a single Masters yet.

 

[President]

Ironic coming from the a guy called "DimitrovtheGOAT"

 

[asifallasleep]

it was interesting to see that Nishikori was getting overpowered and bullied by Stan. Same thing happened when he played Rishard at Kooyong. The commentators were saying that Rishard was hitting a niticeably much heavier ball and that Rishard must be using a very heavy racket, the ninja was having some trouble dealing with it as he was vs Stan. The tv graphic showed that the Ninja was hitting a very high percentage of his shots very short vs Stan. The ninja migth have to start doing some pushups so that he can swing a heavier racket to better deal with the bullies.

Don't forget Cilic overpowering him in last year's US Open.

 

[Nathaniel_Near]

Nishikori does have some questions to answer when it comes to the tail-end of these Slams and he faces players with equally good baseline games but they get 15 extra free points in the match due to their serve, have more pure power and have a slightly superior aggregate of first strikes (serve + return). Where will he find his edge? We'll see.

 

[JMR]

Don't forget Cilic overpowering him in last year's US Open.

Exactly. This is the key problem for Nishikori. For two slams in a row, he's been overwhelmed by a non-all-time-great player who was not wildly ball-bashing, but simply producing powerful, clean offensive tennis from all over the court. In his mid-20s, Nishikori should be at his overall physical peak right now. As he ages, it won't get any easier for him to fend off the big hitters. Nishikori won't run into god-mode Stan or career-peak Cilic in every slam (that version of Cilic could be gone forever, for all we know), but there's a good chance that someone, some top 20 player in the zone, will always be around to threaten him with a power-based attack.

 

[DRII]

I think Nishi's ankle was bothering him and thus hindered his movement and usually extraordinary foot work which aided in him being overpowered by Wawa.

 

[ultradr]

He got overpowered and will often get overpowered in the future.
He is still achieving beyond normal possibility with this physique at 5 10"(or 9"?).

Japanese atheletes are amazing. All achieving maximum they could achieve
with given physique. AO had like 4 male japanese players in main draw and they are all under 5 11", I think.

There was one guy who is 5'4" and gave a tight match to Janowicz at 6'8". It
was amazing to see a guy, who seemingly smaller than ball boys and still hit ball pretty hard.

 

[DRII]

Exactly. This is the key problem for Nishikori. For two slams in a row, he's been overwhelmed by a non-all-time-great player who was not wildly ball-bashing, but simply producing powerful, clean offensive tennis from all over the court. In his mid-20s, Nishikori should be at his overall physical peak right now. As he ages, it won't get any easier for him to fend off the big hitters. Nishikori won't run into god-mode Stan or career-peak Cilic in every slam (that version of Cilic could be gone forever, for all we know), but there's a good chance that someone, some top 20 player in the zone, will always be around to threaten him with a power-based attack.

Have you not noticed that Nishi's body has not lasted a full fortnight in a slam yet

The defeats you reference have much more to do with the former than nishikori being simply outplayed!

 

[KingKyrgios]

He was being overastimated from the start.I see him as a new Ferrer.