Tennis Prose




Aug/22

7

Kyrgios Changing The Game

By Scoop Malinowski

Game changers in tennis are rare. Most players play the same basic fundamental way – see the WTA – but men’s tennis tends to produce more originals.

Roger Federer became the artist, matador, king of elegance. Rafa was the raging bull fueled by a superhuman burning desire to be the best. Novak evolved into the ultimate tennis machine, the closest thing to perfection on a tennis court, said Nick Bollettieri.

It’s time to add Nick Kyrgios to the list of game changers. Nick is something totally different but it’s hard to describe and explain Nick because he’s like nothing we ever saw before in tennis.

First of all he’s a major attraction now who intrigues and excites people of ALL ages, from juniors to adults and seniors, to veteran media typed like Pater Bono, who went out with our group to watch Nick battle Coric at Miami Open on grandstand in an afternoon duel.

Remember how Nick asked the adult woman spectator at Citi Open a few years ago for serve target advice? He won the world over right then. Kids love Nick more than any player I ever saw and Nick returns the feeling by treating kids better than they expect. He jokes and interacts with them. I saw Nick make kids laugh after practice at US Open on Armstrong. So I asked a kid what was it that Nick said? The kid said, “He said he would give us a racquet if we mispronounced his name.”

Nick’s a free spirit free thinker on the court too. He doesn’t seem to play with any strategy, or gameplans at all, he just freewheels it, like, ‘I’m gonna hit the ball where ever I want as hard as I want, and wherever you it back, if you can, I’ll get it and do it again and again until I beat you into submission.’ Nick has the biggest serve in the sport and his forehand may be the mightiest too.

Nick’s athleticism is underrated too, he can play great defense and scoot around the court better than most players. His improvisation shots are also highly effective and jaw dropping – remember that volley vs Tiafoe the other night?

His intelligence and mind are underrated too. He is playing top five in the world tennis without a coach for the last half decade or so. He’s walking out on the court outsmarting and beating the best in the world all by himself.

See, Nick has so many attributes that it’s hard to put him in a box or category. He’s different than everybody else. He plays different than everybody else. Yes, he’s a rebel, non conformist, a freestylist with his own methods and ideas.

And now he’s finally dedicated and committed to being his best, or THE best. He dominated Djokovic in the first set in the Wimbledon final then seemed to intentionally implode in the second set by complaining to his box about support quality. If Nick stays focused and undistracted, and continued serving and blasting from the baseline as he was, he wins that final. Djokovic and possibly the entire ATP can’t handle Nick’s top level game. Now if he can just sustain it for a couple of years…

Today Nick won Citi Open for his seventh ATP title. Now Nick is at his career best level and the fascinating part is he is going to get even better. How much longer will he stay inspired, driven and hungry to be his very best?

Nobody knows, not even Nick Kyrgios, possibly the most unpredictable player in tennis history. So fasten your seatbelts and enjoy the ride!

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4 comments

  • Cyndy · August 8, 2022 at 5:59 am

    Scoop Malinowski…. Even Djokovic had mentioned recently at Wimbledon that Nick will be in many more finals… he is talented surely and has his own star game.
    “Every tournament that denied Novak Djokovic entry because he chose bodily autonomy is an *asterisk* tournament,” Adam Baldwin said in a tweet. “Likewise are their prize winners *asterisk* prize winners. Novak is a GOAT! Shame on the sheep,” he added. Mighty words from Baldwin!

  • Scoop Malinowski · August 8, 2022 at 7:14 am

    Nick should be in more finals but he’s unpredictable, also it’s typical a grand slam champ says that of his young first time finalist, it’s nice PR. But yes Novak surely meant his kind words for Nick and he may even win US Open. Nick’s head is on right now and he’s a scary guy to play for everyone. I believe Rafa used a fake injury to duck Nick at Wimbledon – with a CYGS on the line that says a lot about lethal Nick is to play.

  • Cyndy · August 8, 2022 at 11:24 am

    We are sure seeing a different Kyrgios now compared to before and yes I do agree he’s so unpredictable actually… even the people on his team must likely be getting surprised every other day…. But I think that we are seeing a different Nick specially after the Wimbledon finals match….. it seemed to have spurred him to go further and that result could surely be seen in Washington…

  • Scoop Malinowski · August 8, 2022 at 7:47 pm

    Cyndy, the new Nick emerged when he won AO doubles in Jan and became a Grand Slam champion. That was the genesis of Nick becoming a now consistent dominant force.

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