Wk.40- Kyrgios: Admired, But Still Disliked?

Hey, all. Galileo here.

The ATP World Tour Finals are coming up. Want to get excited? Here are some of this BACKSPINNER'S favourite recent moments:

* - Nadal defeated Murray in 2010 7-6[5], 3-6, 7-6[6]. At the end of the first set the commentator said, “It’s not enough to be perfect, you have to be immaculate.” And he was correct. The standard of play was exquisite, the rallies perfect and the clash of styles delicious. Broken while serving for it, it took him three attempts to finally win it. Watched live on the tele-vision by this BACKSPINNER, the arm of the sofa never recovered, so hard was it gripped. Nadal’s grit and Murray’s not quite maturity proved the slight difference.

* - Davydenko finally wins a big event. He beat Del Potro 6-3, 6-4 and raised his arms aloft, reminiscent of Dementieva winning the Olympics. Neither Russian ever got that grand slam they so deserved. Both were top five players for a ridiculously long period of time, but neither ever got over the hump. Perhaps Dementieva’s biggest blown chance was that Roland Garros semi-final in 2010. She almost certainly would have beaten Stosur. Davydenko always seemed to run into Federer. But that 2010 Australian Open, he had Roger on the ropes.

* - And speaking of Roger, he has had so many sparkling moments. But the two that blew this BACKSPINNER away the most were in 2005 and ’07. He beat Gaudio 6-0, 6-0 in the semi-finals in 2005 and the scoreline was generous. To do it like he did on that stage was ridiculous. And he did it to Ferrer two years later, 6-2, 6-3, 6-2. It was brutal. If you’d seen a guy get beat up on the street by a gentleman in an immaculate suit and then seen his wallet get taken and the very polite thief apologize, you would remember.

So tune in next month, even though only one of the above mentioned players will actually be there and be relevant. Could Wawrinka seal the deal on the Hall of Fame case? Will Raonic blast his way into the history books?

=RANKINGS WATCH=
Top 32 - Simon drops two spots, leaving Troicki and Kohl to each rise a spot. Just 35 spots separate the three. Spots 24-26 and 29 are all taken up by Americans.
Top 10 – Ferrer and Kyrgios swap, with the Aussie taking the fourteenth spot, a career high. Goffin is up two places to 12. Thiem and Cilic are fairly comfortable at 10 and 11.
Top 8 – Little change. Raonic still comfortably leads Federer and Monfils. Monfils is just five points off Federer. Will the Swiss fall out of the top ten?
Top 4 – The gap between Murray and Djokovic has been cut to just under 4000. It hasn’t been that close for a while. Wawrinka sits by himself, a little Swiss island. 4000 behind Murray, but he is increasing his lead over Nishikori with every week that passes. Nadal is behind Kei by 10 points, but that lead should only get bigger.

*WEEK 40 CHAMPIONS*
BEIJING, CHINA (Hard)
S: Andy Murray def. Grigor Dimitrov 6-4/7-6(2)
D: Carreno Busta/Nadal d. Sock/Tomic
TOKYO, JAPAN (Hard)
S: Nick Kyrgios def. David Goffin 4-6/6-3/7-5
D: Granollers/Matkowski d. Klaasen/Ram


PLAYER OF THE WEEK: NICK KYRGIOS, AUS
...Talking to a friend -- yes, BACKSPINNERS have friends -- he said he admired Kyrgios' shot-making ability, but still disliked him. Now is that really fair? It is understandable to dislike his character and his on-court demeanour, but off-court he is well behaved and a fairly pleasant guy. Off-court he had put nary a foot wrong. He has been villainised by people, in not dissimilar a way NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell has demonised Tom Brady, for a series of, admittedly, very poor choices. But he brings a freshness to the tour and marketability. He is bringing mustard to a fairly stale loaf of bread. He has that quality that Clijsters, and also Kuznetsova, have - he can hit any shot. Not even Williams has that, though she doesn’t need it. Federer has it, too. That way of hitting any conceivable shot brilliantly. Kyrgios brings so many different looks and shots to a court that it can be an educational experience to watch him play. Anyway, in the first round match this week he did this:


He has added that shot to his repertoire. He, like Tomic with that silly dropper, physically added the tweener into his basket of weapons. And he brings it out, sometimes when totally unnecessary. Anyway, he dismissed Harrison 7-5, 6-2. Stepsy withdrew, but that didn’t faze Kyrgios as he dismissed Muller 6-4, 6-2. And in that match he hit this in the first set:


No, this BACKSPINNER has no clue what it is supposed to be, either. But it does work brilliantly, no? Kyrgios forehand and backhand are somehow impossible to deal with. He has a kind of consistent power from the baseline that is hard to stop. In the second set, he did this:


It was unnecessary - the ball was going out. In the semi-final, an engaging affair between two mercurial talents that he won 6-4,6-4, he did this:


And in the final it was this (in that match he came back to win 4-6, 6-3, 7-5, beating an exceptionally good Goffin):


I mean, really. What a way to win a title. Now, onto Murray...
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RISER: ANDY MURRAY, GBR
...No, he will never be as exciting as the Australian. Murray is the computer hacker in Die Hard and Kyrgios is John McLane. The Scot had a very easy draw and dispatched it just as one would expect him to. He has slotted perfectly into the role of the world’s second best player. Since a disappointing U.S. Open, Murray has taken time out but has lost none of his form. His window is closing and it remains unclear how many slams he will win, but the Grand Slam is almost certainly gone. He had to win the French this year. Of course, he and Novak will no doubt play out several dull finals next year, none of which will be remembered even by the fans who paid to see them. Muzza won his fifth title of the year, going 5-4. He also won his 40th title in his 61st final. Federer won title 40 in his 53rd final ten years ago. Nadal did it six years ago from 52 finals. Novak did it three years ago and was identical to Murray, in it taking him 61 finals. Sampras, by comparison, did it in 53, the same as Roger. And Pete did it in Tokyo, which takes me back to Asia very neatly. Murray saw off Seppi and Kuznetsov very easily before edging Edmund 7-6[9], 6-2. Edmund should have taken the first set but could not. After that it was all Murray. He dismissed Ferrer 6-2, 6-3 and Dimitrov went down 6-4, 7-6[2]. So that was Murray’s 40th title. Will he make it to sixty?
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FRESH FACE: AKIRA SANTILLAN, JPN
...The former Aussie saw off Brit Dan Evans 6-3, 4-6, 6-4 in the first round of qualifying before losing to Stepanek in three sets. Santillan was the runner up at the junior doubles edition of the 2014 French Open and last year’s Wimbledon. He paired up with Opelka for the Wimbledon loss and is now ranked 226, up nine places from last week. Due to Tennis Australia mucking up [for the cynics who said again, behave yourselves!] the Brisbane native made the short trip to Japan. He could amount to a solid journeyman or he could rise higher. Either way, he should be on your radar now.
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VETERAN: DAVID FERRER, ESP
...The grizzled Spaniard really is winding down now and seemingly just playing out the string. When he and Rafa go Spain will be in big trouble. Still clinging on to the top 15, Ferru is a ghost of what he once was, though few players ever had a better talent to conversion rate. Ferru never had any major gifts except sheer athleticism and graft. And boy has he used those, and is still using them. A thoroughly nice guy who has given it his all, he will be missed when he finally puts away the rackets in the closet. Forget his straight sets wins over Cuevas and Fognini, as impressive as those were, for the Spaniard had a far more important victory. He gave Zverev a lesson, a lesson in how to win. He edged Zverev 6-7[4], 6-1, 7-5 and he was everywhere. He just built that wall like he always has. It was sad to see Murray put him away so easily, but then Murray always has.
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SURPRISE: GRIGOR DIMITROV, BUL
...This was the week Dimitrov escaped. He was up a set and a break but blew four match points in the second set breaker of a 7-5, 6-7[9], 6-4 victory. It took him two hours and forty-four minutes, but he eventually came through. And in his break from the upper echelons it seems he has found some kind of inner steel. He would have collapsed to a shocking three set loss earlier, but now he knows how to win in a Ferrer-like fashion. And to put the cherry on the cake, he dismissed Nadal 6-2, 6-4 on his way to the final. Raonic withdrew with yet another injury in the semi-final, unfortunately.
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DOWN: KEI NISHIKORI, JPN
...It is always something with the Japanese man. If not injuries then a shock loss. That win at the U.S. Open has to be the start of something, a change hopefully, not just a one-off. This week it was the left glute. But he’ll be fine next week, before the right wrist feels funny. Kei should have two slams and be a solid top three player right now. It’s more than injuries, it’s something else. And it needs to be sorted out soon.
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UPSET: GILLES MULLER, LUX
...Both Nishikori and Berdych had troubles with their left glutes. Berdych lost the breaker to Muller 7-6[7], 6-1. A weary Berdych finally collapsed. Props to him for working at it, especially after having his appendix out. Muller still needed to actually pull off the upset, which he did. It does make Shanghai crucial for Berdman. Muller has been one of the tour's most improved and consistent players throughout the year. It was another quarterfinal here, and at 500 level, too.
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Notes from the Week...
1 – Isner leads our aces count with mere weeks left. He has 977, with Karlovic on 961. Last season, Dr. Ivo had almost 1500 while Isner had only cleared 1200. Anderson also cracked the thousand mark. Muller looks good for the bronze on 782, holding off Raonic and Kyrgios on 741 and 716, respectively.
2 – The picture for the WTF will become much clearer after Shanghai, when we find out what’s what. Pretenders like Kyrgios and Cilic will either make or break their campaigns here.
3 – The WTA doubles finals field is already set, but the Mirza/Hingis split has put a spanner in the works to an extent. [Ed.note: though they've said they'll play together, which should be... interesting. - tds]
4 – 60 years ago, Althea Gibson won her maiden slam. Please go and research her. She was an incredible figure in our sport and in the fight for equality.
5 – Djokovic is beginning to put together a seriously impressive run when it comes to consistency at number one.


1. Tokyo F - Kyrgios d. Goffin 4-6, 6-3, 7-5
...Down a set, Kyrgios was put under pressure at 1-1. He faced a multitude of break points, but somehow held and then broke his opponent the next game. After that he rolled through the set and clung on in the third for a crucial victory.
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2. Tokyo R2 - Cilic d. Verdasco 4-6, 7-5, 7-5
...Verdasco really can’t win these matches, can he? If you’re a big fan of flashy forehands, this is the match for you. Verdasco played a great match, but lacked the control in the end.
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3. China F = Murray d. Dimitrov 6-4, 7-6[2]
...A great capper to a very good week from the Scot, but could this also be the run that re-ignites Dimitrov and his career? If he could find form, is any result off the table?
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*SHANGAHI*
=SF=
Djokovic [1] d. [9] Tsonga
Murray [2] d. [3] Wawrinka
=FINAL=
Djokovic [1] d. [2] Murray

...In the twenty years since this tournament was first started there has never been a lefty winner. And there is unlikely to be one now. Djokovic is going to cruise, though Kyrgios plays the role of a very dangerous wild card. This BACKSPINNER has not bought Nadal on hard courts for three years, and not on any surface for six months. In the other half, Murray is the kind of number two Rafa was ten years ago - really good, but not quite as good as the world number one. And why not have some faith in Vavsy? Don’t bother watching the final if the seeds hold. It’ll be dull.

Mladenovic was again seeded first in the doubles. But she and partner Garcia lost at the final hurdle, though they are likely to stay the top seeded pair for the foreseeable future unless Hingis and Mirza reunite. They had several funky scorelines this tournament, starting with seeing off Krunic and Siniakova 6-0, 2-6, 1-0 [10-7]. Bacsinszky and Ostapenko went down 6-4, 6-3, but the Chans put up a real fight, going down 0-6, 6-1, 1-0 [10-6]. Mattek-Sands and Safarova continued their tear in the final, winning 6-4, 6-4. But it’s another encouraging performance, though they aren’t dominant number ones.

She defeated Jankovic in the first round of the China Open, 6-3, 5-7, 7-6[4]. We knew that. But then she lost to Keys 7-5, 6-4. That loss brings with it no shame. It is not embarrassing to lose to a top ten player with that many weapons, but Kiki has to maximise her performances in smaller events so she can avoid players like Keys. Or she has to learn how to beat them.


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