Wimbledon 2019: Mercurial Nick Kyrgios must show Rafael Nadal the respect he deserves
If the Australian behaves himself then he could be very dangerous, as he showed when he beat Nadal here in the fourth round five years ago
Your support helps us to tell the story
From reproductive rights to climate change to Big Tech, The Independent is on the ground when the story is developing. Whether it's investigating the financials of Elon Musk's pro-Trump PAC or producing our latest documentary, 'The A Word', which shines a light on the American women fighting for reproductive rights, we know how important it is to parse out the facts from the messaging.
At such a critical moment in US history, we need reporters on the ground. Your donation allows us to keep sending journalists to speak to both sides of the story.
The Independent is trusted by Americans across the entire political spectrum. And unlike many other quality news outlets, we choose not to lock Americans out of our reporting and analysis with paywalls. We believe quality journalism should be available to everyone, paid for by those who can afford it.
Your support makes all the difference.I said before Wimbledon started that I felt there were at least half a dozen women who could win the women’s title next week. Simona Halep is definitely one of them, though her 6-3, 4-6, 6-2 victory over Mihaela Buzarnescu on Wednesday also demonstrated areas in which she has room to improve.
Halep’s movement is fantastic. Holy cow, what an athlete this girl is. I love watching the way she covers the court, though I detect a weakness when she is running from a wide forehand to a wide backhand. When she has to run a long distance to play her backhand that’s probably her weakest shot.
I would also like to see her bring a bit more variety to her game. I feel that on a defensive ball she needs to come forward once in a while and give her opponent a different look. From the baseline she’s as good as anybody, but if she’s to go deep into this tournament I think she needs to do more than just get the ball back.
Halep plays quite close to the baseline, but I’d like to see her come into the net once in a while, throw in an occasional drop shot and find some acute angles. She needs to add a little bit to her game.
I was sorry to see Heather Watson lose to Anett Kontaveit, though I’m glad that she did at least win one match this week. Heather has been with us at the IMG Academy in Florida since she was 12 and I’ve always believed in her ability.
However, she hasn’t done so well of late. I think that’s because she puts too much pressure on herself. I don’t think her poor run has had anything to do with her talent or her technique or her movement. It’s all down to her attitude. I think she gets too emotional. She needs to go out there and play her game and not worry about her results.
Monica Puig, who lost to Karolina Pliskova, is another player I’ve worked with and another example of what happens when you lose confidence. It seems that Monica hasn’t been the same player ever since she won gold at the Rio Olympics. As is the case with Heather, she has discovered that opponents can sense when you start to doubt yourself and will be quick to take advantage.
Thursday’s match of the day: Ever since the draw came out people have been looking forward to the possibility of Rafael Nadal playing Nick Kyrgios. Holy mackerel, this second-round match could be a cracker.
Kyrgios and Nadal are clearly not the best of friends, but on this occasion I expect the Aussie to respect his opponent. I don’t think there will be too many shenanigans from him. And if he behaves himself then he could be very dangerous, as he showed when he beat Nadal here in the fourth round five years ago. He’s also beaten him on two more occasions since then.
With his crazy shots Kyrgios can hit winners from anywhere on the court. His big serve is also a major weapon. Nadal will make him play a lot of balls. Kyrgios has to be patient, but when he has the opportunity to attack he needs to go for it. Nadal, however, can handle just about any situation and I expect him to come through this one too.
Ask Nick: If you have a question for me – whether it’s about how to improve your game, training techniques or anything else concerning this great sport of ours – just email me at QuestionsforNickB@gmail.com.
Today’s question is from Katy, who asks who had the best serve out of all the players I’ve coached. The answer would have to be Boris Becker. He had huge power on his serve and great placement. He also took full advantage of it by playing serve-and-volley.
Most players have two serves, but Boris always had four. How come? Because he always visualised every serve before he hit it. He would visualise every aspect of it in his mind – direction, spin, power, angle. And if you have two attempts at every serve you hit, baby, that’s a big advantage.
My A-Z of the IMG – looking back over my life at the IMG Academy in Florida which I founded in 1978.
E is for Eszter Seles, the mother of Monica, who I first spotted at the Orange Bowl in 1985. Monica was only 11 at the time but her great talent was already clear.
I offered Monica a full scholarship at the academy and made one of the apartments available to her and her family. Monica and her brother Zoltan, who was a very good hitting partner, arrived first and her parents Eszter and Karoly followed two months later. At the age of 15 Monica won her first title in only her second pro tournament – and the rest, as they say, is history.
F is for Fritz Nau, who used to run the elite programme at the academy and played an important part in Andre Agassi’s career. Although he hated flying, Fritz flew to most of the major tournaments with Andre. He was a rock for him and was particularly helpful in rebuilding Andre’s confidence after he lost his first three Grand Slam finals.
For more information on the IMG Academy’s tennis programmes email info@imgacademy.com or call +1-800-872-6425
Join our commenting forum
Join thought-provoking conversations, follow other Independent readers and see their replies
Comments