As I wrote over the weekend, I was excited to see how 19-year old Nick Kyrgios was going to do against Rafael Nadal. The brash Aussie showed his mettle when he saved 9 match points against Richard Gasquet last week. But beating Rafa in your Centre Court debut is a HUGE task. With all do respect, he's no Richie. As he walked onto the iconic grass court with his ubiquitous pink Beats by Dre headgear, Nick may not have had the experience but he surely had the belief. When he was asked in his presser after winning his third round match whether he thought he could beat the world’s top baller, Nick kept it simple: “Yeah, definitely.”
And "believe" he did. Pink Beats announced his arrival on tennis’ biggest stage by upsetting Rafa 7-6(5), 5-7, 7-6(5), 6-3. It was an extraordinary display of power, athleticism, confidence, and a fair share of entertainment. I mean, check out this shot. This 144th-ranked kid can play the tennis. The Aussie, who grabbed a wild card to get into the main draw, kept his nerve in check (if he was ever nervous I didn’t see it) and simply outhit and outplayed the 14-time Grand Slammer on the big points. When all was said and done, Pink Beats hit 70 winners, including 37 aces. All you can do is say well done…and welcome to the BIG TIME. As for Rafa, he's got more immediate plans.
Seeing a newcomer, a teen, burst onto the scene in such phenomenal way doesn’t happen that often anymore. In fact, Rafa was the last teen on the ATP tour to defeat a world number one at a major. It was Roger Federer at – where else? – Roland Garros in 2005. Those moments are pure magic and I miss them. And, today, I soaked up every last bit of it. Thanks Pink Beats.
I had a feeling about this. In my ladies’ preview, I pointed out that the last time Maria Sharapova won the French Open in 2012, she was beaten in the fourth round at Wimbledon. I thought she might only get that far again. I’d prefer not to think I jinxed her; but, in any case, on her seventh match point Angelique Kerber upset Maria 7-6(4), 4-6, 6-4 in the fourth round today. It was a hard-hitting Centre Court classic with both lady ballers going toe-to-toe with power groundies, sharp angles, and fierce competitiveness. The shot making was breathtaking at times, and the German’s determination to get to every one of Maria’s balls was extraordinary. Although some commies were saying this match bested the Venus-Kvitova battle royale, I think the matches were on par. Whatever the case, this is for sure – the ladies have brought the quality and drama so far. You still have time to make it, boys, and today’s Nadal-Kyrgios match was a solid start.
There were some scary moments today in the doubles draw when Serena Williams and Venus Williams arrived to the court to play their match against Kristina Barrois and Stefanie Voegele. In the warm up, ReRe was way out of sorts; she could barely catch the ball and missed simple groundies. Afterwards, she convened with doctors and then decided to play on. What happened next was strange and slightly disturbing since no one knew what was going on. You can see it here. Fortunately, they retired and eventually released a statement explaining the ReRe has been suffering from a "viral illness." The WTA site has the entire statement. In typical style, V was there to support her little sister, holding her hand off the court. Hope she is well.
And then there's this guy. Because Wimbledon.
[Photo(s) credit: Getty Images]
No comments:
Post a Comment