In the past two weeks, Nick Kyrgios was been making headlines for all the wrong reasons. During his second round match in Montreal against Stan Wawrinka he said an unconfirmed, yet rather obscene statement to the Roland Garros champion regarding his personal life. It has led to the ATP deciding that any further abuse would lead to a four-week suspension for the 20 year old Australian.
US Open R1: Kyrgios-Murray and Coric-Nadal
This week, he will be aiming to make headlines for different reasons, as he drew world #2 and two-time major winner Andy Murray in the first round of the US Open beginning on Monday. Their first round encounter will be their fourth meeting overall but their third in majors this year alone. Since his upset at Wimbledon last year of then-World #1 Rafael Nadal, nearly all of Kyrgios’ matches against top players have been treated as blockbuster encounters. Unfortunately, none of his encounters with Murray have lived up to the hype as he has been dismissed in straight sets in all of their previous meetings. He even failed to make an impact on Murray in front of his home crowd when he made the quarterfinals in Melbourne this year. I personally believe that this is a tough match up for the Australian because the Brit is so quick, consistent, and relentless off the ground that it is difficult for Kyrgios to hit through him. Not to mention he has not done a good job of returning Murray’s weak second serve; many instances in their past few matches have show Kyrgios overcooking Murray’s inviting second serve. Going after returns like that is a smart idea but footwork and margin while returning are just as important as the pace you put behind the ball.
Another first round encounter that draws attention is Rafael Nadal against Borna Coric. A match between an 18-year-old and a 14-time major winner might seem like a pencil-in for some but Borna Coric is no ordinary 18-year-old.
Despite his young age, Coric has already recorded a win over his first round opponent in the quarterfinals of Basel last year in October. There was an injury cloud surrounding that match, however, as Nadal had reported that he was dealing with an appendix issue. Coric was able to take out another big name in Dubai this year, routing Andy Murray 6-1 6-3 to reach the semifinals before losing to Roger Federer. Regardless of the condition these players were in when they lost to the Croatian, these results show that Coric is not afraid of the big stage. He may lack a big punch in his game but he more than makes up for that in his tenacity and footspeed that make him a hassle to hit through. One thing is for sure, Nadal will have to earn this match as Coric is not simply going to give it to him. The main key for Nadal in this match will be to target the Coric forehand; Coric’s backhand is by far the more solid wing that produces a lot of winners. On the contrary, his forehand is a very weak shot and tends to be the one that sprays errors when put under a lot of pressure. Likewise, it will be crucial for Coric to target the Nadal forehand. While usually the stronger wing of the Spainaird, recent months have shown a decline in confidence in that shot. This decline in confidence has caused Nadal to hit his forehand shorter and shorter, giving his opponents opportunity to attack. Coric is not known for his firepower but he is going to have to be aggressive to have an opportunity to win this match.
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