2020 Australian Open...ATP 2000...Melbourne, Australia

[don_budge]

Nadal completely engaged early, could not be more intense. Nick certainly has his full attention, which may not be a good thing for Nick. Nadal will probably be in this mode for the next 3 to 4 hours ha.

A break of serve for our head case Boy...it almost appears that he is in Nadal's head a bit. Nick is grunting after he has hit the ball...perhaps a bit of gamesmanship to offset the plethora of things Nadal does in the course of a match to get into his opponent's head. To irritate them. To take control of the rhythm. More power to him if it works...Kyrgios that is. It is about time someone stood up to this bully. But the fear is that Kyrgios will mistake this for a winning strategy. It will be the tennis and only the tennis that will defeat Nadal.

[stroke]

Nadal wins 1st set. Nick up a break in 2nd, and he is competing on all points, including his return games. As we all know, he has the game to do it on this stage. We will see.

[stroke]

Nadal completely engaged early, could not be more intense. Nick certainly has his full attention, which may not be a good thing for Nick. Nadal will probably be in this mode for the next 3 to 4 hours ha. Thiem no surprise at all over Monfils. Stan over Medvedev, a slight surprise I suppose, but Stan's whole game is certainly easier on the eye than Medvedev's. I think almost anyone who loves tennis would way rather have Stan's strokes than Medvedev's.

[don_budge]

Dominic Thiem and Stan Wawrinka both through to the quarterfinals. You know what that means don't you? Two one-hand backhands over the two-hand variety. Almost sorry to see Medvedev go as he might be a better bet against Nadal if he gets by Kyrgios. But think about this...what if these two should meet in the semis? Drama anyone?

[don_budge]

Match of the Day...Nick Kyrgios vs. Rafael Nadal

Fed looking very good and is probably the biggest favorite out there in next up match vs Sangren. Novak of course favorite vs Milos but we all know how good Milos' serve is. Cannot really see Monfils getting through Thiem. Alex has gotten it together somewhat but I would pick Rublev in that match. Stan and Medvedev a very interesting match up. And of course the blockbuster, Nick vs Nadal. I hope Nick digs all in and gives himself his best chance to see what happens.

Epic moment for Nick Kyrgios. How will he react? Is he afraid to succeed? Is he afraid to do his best fearing it will not be enough? Roger Federer talked about "the demons...the demons" in his post match interview after defeating Aussie John Millman. When he was behind in the tie-breaker he was planning his loser's speech. But he put the demons behind him. It's quite a trick...you know. Nick has his share of demons but he seems to control them against Roger and Rafael. The show starts at 9 AM here in Sweden. That would be 3 AM EST. I recommend you get up and take a look at some point.

Wawrinka vs. Medvedev and Zverev vs. Rublev should be interesting stuff but it will pale in comparison. On paper at least. Nick is a bonafide head case but you never know with him. Best of five...he has to go out there and just drain the life out of Nadal.

How about the Roger Federer? He played with his C+ game against Millman and just barely eeked it out. But against the hapless Fucsovac's he was flawless. He weathered the first set then found the rhythm and then never looked back. Next up the #100 player in the world...Tennys Sandgren. If he gets off the court quickly then he prepares for an epic semi where he will be the definite underdog...in the event that Novak Djokovic gets through Milos Raonic.

[stroke]

Fed looking very good and is probably the biggest favorite out there in next up match vs Sangren. Novak of course favorite vs Milos but we all know how good Milos' serve is. Cannot really see Monfils getting through Thiem. Alex has gotten it together somewhat but I would pick Rublev in that match. Stan and Medvedev a very interesting match up. And of course the blockbuster, Nick vs Nadal. I hope Nick digs all in and gives himself his best chance to see what happens.

[nytennisaddict]

Nick gets through 5th set tiebreaker. 4 hour plus match. The Nadal match should be something.

as much as i love nadal, i'd prefer to see nk get through nadal and take a shot at winning his home slam.

[stroke]

We know one thing for sure. Nadal will come to compete ha.

[don_budge]

Nick gets through 5th set tiebreaker. 4 hour plus match. The Nadal match should be something.

What did I tell you..."He will have his hands full and being the head case that he is...".

Just kept his head in the game just enough to eek that one out. He doesn't mind walking on that tight rope...just teetering on the brink. Relying solely on his serve 99% of the time and then he counts on doing something superlative in the tie-breaker. He's an odd ball. I watched most of the match. But it is really unbearably boring much of the time. Two big guys just slugging it out from the backcourt. But Nick does have game in the forecourt and he can make the other guy play there with the drop shots and the angles.

Pencil him in for a showdown with Nadal. The Australian crowd will really have a hoot with this one. Hopefully Nick shows up to play...to win. The tournament needs this match to be big. Without a big showing it might turn out to be a snoozer.

[stroke]

Nick gets through 5th set tiebreaker. 4 hour plus match. The Nadal match should be something.

[stroke]

Nick and Karen in a hard fought match, 5th set. Winner gets Nadal. Can't help but think Nick would have a much better chance of beating him. Karen is a real pro. He just goes about his job.

[stroke]

Federer/Millman highlight video. Missing the most important three points when Federer was down 4-8 in the tie-breaker.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SQ2BfKZ9I2s

The tie-break...missing the same three points.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=f4pc1fCLK0M

Match point...Millman big serve down the middle in the ad court. Federer blocks back...rule number one, keep the ball in play. Millman pounds into Federer's backhand and Federer slices to just past the service line on the backhand side of middle. Millman tags a forehand and he may have hit the baseline and Roger just gets his racquet on it at full stretch and lofts a high floating shot to the backhand side of Millman's court. Millman runs around the forehand...the rest is history.

beyond small margains, it is a wonder all these players are not in therapy

[don_budge]

Federer/Millman highlight video. Missing the most important three points when Federer was down 4-8 in the tie-breaker.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SQ2BfKZ9I2s

The tie-break...missing the same three points.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=f4pc1fCLK0M

Match point...Millman big serve down the middle in the ad court. Federer blocks back...rule number one, keep the ball in play. Millman pounds into Federer's backhand and Federer slices to just past the service line on the backhand side of middle. Millman tags a forehand and he may have hit the baseline and Roger just gets his racquet on it at full stretch and lofts a high floating shot to the backhand side of Millman's court. Millman runs around the forehand...the rest is history.

[don_budge]

Excusez Mon Français...pardon my french

Roger fucking wins it!!!!!!!!!

Wow...what a match! What a day for me. Here is how it went down:

I got out of the house just a bit later than I would have liked to but still felt that I was somewhat on schedule. I didn't feel that I had to watch the entire match but I wanted to at least be there for the last set. My first priority in life now is the gym. I have set aside everything else to adhere to the program that my Physical Trainer Mona has put together for me. I took the garbage in the car with me and I put it down between my feet. But wouldn't you know it...I forgot to stop at the end of the drive and put it in the container. In my defence the drive is four hundred meters long so during the course of the drive there...I forgot. So I ended up driving to town with this bag of garbage between my feet. That sort of annoyed me.

Once I got to town I was looking for a place to deposit my bag and I went behind some stores in search of a garbage container which I found and completed that mission. Since that errand took me to the "Farmer's Shop" I stopped and picked up food for the dogs and horses. Next stop the gym. Not feeling at the top of my game today but I managed to make a good effort to complete my assignment. The last item on my agenda is four 250 meter sprints on a rowing machine. This a high effort item as the goal is to bring them in under a minute. Downstairs is the usual machine that I usually do my sprints on but there were a couple of elderly people on them looking like it was "row, row, row your boat...gently down the stream. merrily...merrily down we go, life is but a dream". So I went upstairs and I was staring at the machine there. The four sprints are quite daunting...it takes me 35 pulls at full speed to get it done under a minute. I was wondering what Roger was up to as the time was getting to be noon. The match started at 10:30 AM. I was thinking of letting the sprints slide but I thought better of it. I did them. That would have been the first time in three months that I short changed my workout. But I got down on the infernal thing and did them. 55.9, 57.7, 57.4 and 56.5. Gave it everything I had. Nothing left. Showered and shaved...out the door by 12:20. Next stop the grocery shopping.

Out in the car I checked my phone and the ATP app. Federer had lost the first and won the second. It was the early middle of the third when I started the Land Cruiser for the race home. Eighteen kilometres in an eighty kph road...a two lane high way in Sweden that reminds me of Upper Peninsula Michigan. At my fastest I clocked 115 or so. Roughly seventy miles an hour. Not desperate. Then it was nine miles of a two lane country road out to the farm where I may have topped off at 84 kph. There are no speed signs but conventional wisdom might presume 70 to be the limit. I needed to get home. Federer wins the third by the time I navigated the two kilometre dirt road to the four hundred meter driveway.

I arrive at my computer and it is early on in the fourth but it appears that Roger is stalling just a bit. Running sort of low on energy or something. Don't forget he hasn't played a match in how many weeks. The first two matches he cruised through but John Millman is putting up some serious resistance...sort of like that rowing machine back at the club. I was totally spent and Roger looked like he was on his way there. Sure enough Millman wins the fourth and Roger is sputtering. Millman breaks early on and Roger is playing catch up and he manages to break back before getting too deep into the set. Now my computer stream is really sputtering. It streams for five seconds and then is down for ten. It did this for the entire fifth set so I had my phone on and I was mostly watching the live score on my phone. So I didn't have a decent picture and I was watching only the score for the last half of the set. Very annoying...very tired. As Roger seemed to be. This is where it comes in handy "Being Roger Federer" as I have been inside his head for the past ten years. I know what he is thinking on every point. I am playing by the score.

We get to the Super tie-break and he loses the first point on his serve. He is behind 3-0. He is behind 8-4. The stream has gotten several points behind the score on the live score app. Very, very annoying. So I am reduced to the live score app. Somehow Federer claws his way back into it. I did get to see the match point. Millman serving...Federer returns rather defensively. Millman attacks to the backhand...Federer just claws his way to the edge and gets his racquet on it. He lifts up a lob high in the air to the Millman backhand side of the court. Millman runs around the forehand and as Roger said in his interview...guesses wrong. He drives down the line into the Federer forehand and Roger realizes in that split second that this is it and he unleashes a great forehand deep crosscourt. Game...set and match to Roger. God bless him. He fought and he clawed his way to the finish line. Just gutting it out and trying to get the match on his racquet. He did for a split second and manages to do what he needed to do. The haymaker. Thus the "French" exclamation. Excusez moi...s'il vous plait.
.

[stroke]

Stefanos goes out to an in form Raonic. Slightly disappointing. No shame, Raonic along with Nick to me have the best sub 6'10" serves in tennis. But it may be another indication that Stefanos is not really next up to take the baton from the big 3. Those 3 always seemed to get through those kind of matches.