The future is Now!

[Kieran]

Well done to El Dude, I never heard of this lad until ED bookmarked him ages ago.

There was a huge hint of Sampras about him, the slouch, the ability to shrug off any mistakes or setbacks and chuck down more aces, and then more. It's his serve that won it, incredible placement and flashing fast bombs.

Rafa played well, I thought, in the face of this, but he played a poor service game, and then Kyrgios showed he has kryptonite cojones.

This match was won in the two breakers: Rafa didn't play them well. He lacked aggression where he needed it, and was 0-4 down in the first tiebreak before he began to wake up. This is how a giant implacable serve can unravel the opponent: puts them under too much pressure on their own game

Funny enough, I like this kid, but it's expecting a lot of him to think he'll go further. He has about 24 hours of media blizzard to withstand. But he has Sampras cool and demeanour, and his shotmaking was exceptional. Tremendous futuristic power. Annihilating dazzling touch. He's the future, but only if he can sustain it. He made Rafa look dated, in exactly the way Safin did to Pete. I believed back then that Safin was the future - and he wasn't. I hope this lad is...

 

[Front242]

Yeah, saw nothing of him before today and frankly amazed. Not only has a huge serve but great all round game also to go with it. The hotdog shot was class.

 

[Murat Baslamisli]

Didn't expect to see you so soon Kiran but here we are. Your boy tried but this kid held his composure so well. I hope the Sampras comparisons are not too soon, but he has a future, that's for sure.

 

[DarthFed]

Quite the breakout for the kid. Another great Greek possibly?

 

[calitennis127]

This match somewhat reminded me of Tsonga's performance in the 2008 Australian Open semifinal, though Tsonga was more dominant overall.

 

[Kieran]

Didn't expect to see you so soon Kiran but here we are. Your boy tried but this kid held his composure so well. I hope the Sampras comparisons are not too soon, but he has a future, that's for sure.

Well, the Sampras comparisons are confined to this match only, the only time I've seen him. His manner and calm and composure and ability to block out things and pile down the aces diligently, was very Pete-like. He was a rock, and that's how Pete was, trusting his weapons and destroying players with them.

He was also very calm and balanced in the interview after, which suggests this win might not go to his head. But he's not the finished product yet, he has a lot to learn, but he showed wisps of great guile too, power that looked like explicit gentleness, easy hands, and sometimes he hit backhands that left divots in the ground - but with the minimum of swing.

I think rafa put himself under too much pressure in the breakers. He was really poor in the first one, and in the second tiebreak he was up 5-4 and ditched a second serve on the 5-5 point, I think. That was nerves, but he didn't go into that breaker with great gusto. Remember, Rafa was up set point at 6-5. had he won that point, I'd swear the match was over. But how did ole Nick save that point?

A Pistol Pete Sampras down the T... :nono

 

[El Dude]

Welcome back, Kieran - come to enjoy the rest of the tournament with us?

Anyhow, thanks for the "shout out." To be honest, what brought him to my attention was simply that he was the only 17-year old in the top 300 when I was scouring the rankings a year and a half ago. I've been following him, Vesely and Thiem for awhile now, as well as a few others who aren't quite there - Garin, Coric, Quinzi, etc. But Kyrgios stood out to me as the first player of the new generation that might make some noise. So far it seems I was right?

I saw some Sampras in him as well, even a bit of Federer - the way he'd hit a booming serve them follow up with a blazing cross-court shot. There is certainly a kind of poetic justice to a Sampras-Federer type player coming in and beating the Great Rafa.

It is interesting that some are discussing Dimitrov, Raonic, and Kyrgios in the same breath, seemingly missing the fact that Kyrgios is almost 4 years younger than Grigor, and more than 4 1/2 years younger than Raonic. In other words, the difference in age between Kyrgios and Raonic is about the same as Nadal and Sampras, but Kyrgios and Raonic are reaching their first Slam QF in the same tournament. My point is, Nicky K is really another whole generation from Raonic-Dimitrov-Janowicz-Nishikori.

I think Kyrgios won't be as consistent as Grigor and Milos, at least for the next year or so as he settles into the big leagues. But he might have greater upside. Certainly a more complete game than Milos, and more fire than Grigor.

Who knows, imagine a Dimitrov-Kyrgios Wimbledon final this year? Probably not for two or three years yet, but I think we're starting to see the future.

 

[Murat Baslamisli]

This match somewhat reminded me of Tsonga's performance in the 2008 Australian Open semifinal, though Tsonga was more dominant overall.

One big difference is Tsonga did a lot of damage at the net and this kid , every time he came forward, missed easy volley after easy volley.

 

[Kieran]

Welcome back, Kieran - come to enjoy the rest of the tournament with us?

Anyhow, thanks for the "shout out." To be honest, what brought him to my attention was simply that he was the only 17-year old in the top 300 when I was scouring the rankings a year and a half ago. I've been following him, Vesely and Thiem for awhile now, as well as a few others who aren't quite there - Garin, Coric, Quinzi, etc. But Kyrgios stood out to me as the first player of the new generation that might make some noise. So far it seems I was right?

I saw some Sampras in him as well, even a bit of Federer - the way he'd hit a booming serve them follow up with a blazing cross-court shot. There is certainly a kind of poetic justice to a Sampras-Federer type player coming in and beating the Great Rafa.

It is interesting that some are discussing Dimitrov, Raonic, and Kyrgios in the same breath, seemingly missing the fact that Kyrgios is almost 4 years younger than Grigor, and more than 4 1/2 years younger than Raonic. In other words, the difference in age between Kyrgios and Raonic is about the same as Nadal and Sampras, but Kyrgios and Raonic are reaching their first Slam QF in the same tournament. My point is, Nicky K is really another whole generation from Raonic-Dimitrov-Janowicz-Nishikori.

I think Kyrgios won't be as consistent as Grigor and Milos, at least for the next year or so as he settles into the big leagues. But he might have greater upside. Certainly a more complete game than Milos, and more fire than Grigor.

Who knows, imagine a Dimitrov-Kyrgios Wimbledon final this year? Probably not for two or three years yet, but I think we're starting to see the future.

Sampras broke through at 19, winning the US Open, and Federer broke through at 19 - beating Sampras. Both of them took a while to recover from the shock, and there's no reason to expect Nick to be different. Of course, unlike Pete, he has a two-hander.

Or I should say, like Pete, he's a child of his age, but nowadays the age demands the two-hander. I loved a few of his thoroughly deceptive strokes, the touch and the angles, and then the power. There was an expertise at work there, beyond his years, and that's like Pete too.

But there's a huge job to be done harnessing this and keeping it from going haywire and losing the head. He maybe a flash in the pan, but I seriously doubt it, given the glimpse we had into his temperament.

He's a lot younger than Raonic and Dimi, and certainly I'd absolutely discount Nishi and JJ from being potential slam champions. To my mind, they're way off it. Raonic would be doubtful - Dimi looks most likely.

But isn't Dimi taking the more obvious route - whereas this kid fell today from tennis heaven, just like a lot of the most precocious of the true greats of the past....

 

[Front242]

Kyrgios probably felt he should've had it done and dusted in 3 too and he should've made it 3 tiebreaks really.

 

[Kieran]

Kyrgios probably felt he should've had it done and dusted in 3 too and he should've made it 3 tiebreaks really.

Not quite. He was glad that Rafa didn't get one of the breaks, and Rafa was the stronger player in sets 2 and 3. It really came down to the third set breaker, and Nick held it together well. As often happens, tennis is decided by a very few points...

 

[El Dude]

As I think I've said before, if Grigor is on the road to greatness than he's doing it in a rather lazy manner with no real historical precedents. Grigor didn't reach his first Slam QF until age 22, still hasn't made a SF (yet) or won a Master's - and he's 23 years old. Actually, one player who comes to mind with a similar trajectory--if different game--was Thomas Muster, who didn't reach the top 10 until he was 23 and had his best years in his late 20s, winning his only Slam at age 27.

But I think we're going to see a nice run in the top 10 from Grigor, maybe eventually top 5 once the Big Four start slipping. I do think he has at least one Slam in him, maybe two or three.

Raonic? I think he can win one. Probably not right now, but at some point the stars will align for him. Nishikori will probably fall short - he doesn't have what it takes to win a Slam, unfortunately. A Masters? I think he'll win one, maybe several. And Janowicz? Who knows? He's a wildcard.

As for Kyrgios, I think what was most impressive about him wasn't necessarily his primary weapons--which were very impressive--but his secondary arsenal, some of the finesse you talk about. In a way there's a similarity to Janowicz, but he seems to have a much better head than Jerzy.

 

[tented]

Kyrgios played a clean, efficient, smart match. No question. But it was one truly noteworthy match. Let's not get too excited.

Are we still talking about Rosol? No, but he was another one you'd think was the second coming two years ago. Janowicz had one great run in Paris a couple of years ago. That's it. Raonic is .. well, Raonic. Would you really bet your house on him winning a major?

Again, congrats to Kyrgios, and his well-deserved win. But the knee-jerk reactions to go over-the-top while praising and damning after one big win or one big loss can be too much.

 

[Kieran]

Kyrgios played a clean, efficient, smart match. No question. But it was one truly noteworthy match. Let's not get too excited.

Are we still talking about Rosol? No, but he was another one you'd think was the second coming two years ago. Janowicz had one great run in Paris a couple of years ago. That's it. Raonic is .. well, Raonic. Would you really bet your house on him winning a major?

Again, congrats to Kyrgios, and his well-deserved win. But the knee-jerk reactions to go over-the-top while praising and damning after one big win or one big loss can be too much.

That's true T, that's why I confined my Sampras comparison to how he handled himself today. Who knows the future? But if it's him, it's a very bright future for the game. All the usual caveats being still in place, however...

 

[El Dude]

The difference, tented, is that Kyrgios is 19-years old. Rosol is the same age as Rafa, and was 26 when he beat him. There were doubts about Jerzy all along, although he's still young enough (23) to win some tournaments.

If anything, the cautionary tale is Bernard Tomic, who made it to the QF of the 2011 Wimbledon at age 18 and even took a set from Novak Djokovic in the QF. But Tomic had a relatively easy road to the QF - a declined Davydenko, Andreev, Soderling in his last Slam match, and Malisse. Kyrgios just beat Rafa.

That said, I expect him to be up and down for the next year or two, gradually working his way up the rankings. A top 40 finish this year, and a top 20 finish next, might be good goals for him.

 

[Kieran]

Forget JJ. :laydownlaughing

Let's not mention him any more....

 

[Haelfix]

This battle reminded me of a match Rafa played against Ljubicic years ago, where the later basically served him off the court.

Like every player, Rafa's kryptonite tends to be from the same patterns of play. Big serve, flat hitting tall power players who have a hot streak day (Rosol, DP, etc) or alternatively someone like Davydenko/Djokovic/Nalbandian who thoroughly deconstruct his serve and can deal with the topspin. You almost never see him lose to anything else.

We all saw this coming though, Rafa's best natural court tennis was a long time ago really, and each year he seems a little more vulnerable to these sorts of upsets. It happened to Sampras, then it happened to Federer and now this generations greatest player has begun to feel father time catch up to him

 

[nehmeth]

This match somewhat reminded me of Tsonga's performance in the 2008 Australian Open semifinal, though Tsonga was more dominant overall.

One big difference is Tsonga did a lot of damage at net and this kid , every time he came forward, missed easy volley after easy volley.

Becker might be available to help.

 

[imjimmy]

This match somewhat reminded me of Tsonga's performance in the 2008 Australian Open semifinal, though Tsonga was more dominant overall.

That's not an apt analogy. The AO 2008 SF match, Tsonga completely and utterly dominated Nadal. There was nothing Nadal could do and he was just plain outplayed in almost every sphere of the game. It was a signature vintage performance by the Frenchman.

This Wimbledon match is different. It could have gone either way. Nadal had his chances in the Tiebreaks and the match was very close overall. He just lacked the little bit extra in his ROS and aggression in key moments. There is no way one could claim that this youngster dominated Nadal as Tsonga did in AO 2008.

Also as Tented said, I wouldn't go overboard with the Sampras comparisons. A long way to go for the kid. As we've seen in the past 3 years, it doesn't take a superhuman performance to beat Rafa on grass in the earlier rounds. Darcis, Rosol have done it before, and they didn't become the next iteration of the big 4. So I wouldn't hold my breath..

 

[Kieran]

Now before it grows legs and runs ahead of me: it was me who mentioned Sampras and I confined it to certain aspects of his match today. I didn't mean that Kyrgios is comparable to Pete, or that he's the next Pete, or any bandwagon stuff. The caveats are in place.

But for his performance today under pressure, his ability to hurl serves when he needed them, his slouch and his composure, he was reminiscent of one of the incomparable ones.

But....etc...