{"id":503,"date":"2016-10-12T21:32:14","date_gmt":"2016-10-13T01:32:14","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/lastwordontennis.com\/?p=503"},"modified":"2016-10-13T12:52:59","modified_gmt":"2016-10-13T16:52:59","slug":"tankapalooza-shanghai-kyrgios","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/tennis\/2016\/10\/12\/tankapalooza-shanghai-kyrgios\/","title":{"rendered":"Tankapalooza in Shanghai: Kyrgios Mails it in Against Zverev"},"content":{"rendered":"<h2>Days after the biggest title of his career, the Australian goes bananas again<\/h2>\n<p>Today we witnessed the latest episode of <em>Tankapalooza<\/em>, featuring Nick Kyrgios. The current #14 in the <a href=\"http:\/\/www.atpworldtour.com\/en\/rankings\/singles\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Emirates ATP Rankings<\/a> <em>delighted<\/em> us tennis fans with yet another degrading spectacle. <a href=\"http:\/\/www.atpworldtour.com\/en\/tournaments\/shanghai-rolex-masters\/5014\/2016\/match-stats\/KE17\/Z168\/live\/MS018\/match-stats\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Mischa Zverev barely broke a sweat in a 6-3 6-1 victory over the mercurial Aussie in merely 48 minutes of play<\/a>, hence advancing to the round of 16 in the Shanghai Rolex Masters 1000. The German will face Marcel Granollers, who upset Tomas Berdych in two tie-break sets.<\/p>\n<p>It&#8217;s publicly known that Kyrgios does not profess love for tennis. He even admitted to be <a href=\"http:\/\/www.bbc.com\/sport\/tennis\/37619047\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">bored during his routine 6-4 6-4 win over big server Sam Querrey<\/a> the day before in less than an hour. Nobody foresaw this debacle, though. Shanghai boasts one of the fastest courts on the tour, bolstering Kyrgios\u2019 sniper-level serve <a href=\"http:\/\/www.atpworldtour.com\/en\/players\/nick-kyrgios\/ke17\/player-stats?year=2016&amp;surfaceType=all\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">(he has won 69% of the service points this year according to ATP official stats)<\/a>. On the other side of the net, the older Zverev is famous for three things: the double bagel he received against Roger Federer in Halle \u201913, being the brother of Alexander\/Sascha (arguably the crown jewel of the #NextGen crew) Zverev, and his lackluster return game.<\/p>\n<p>It&#8217;s very fitting Zverev ended up winning 56% of the overall return points today, isn\u2019t it? No, it is not. Prior to today, according to <a href=\"http:\/\/www.tennisabstract.com\/cgi-bin\/player.cgi?p=MischaZverev&amp;f=A2016qqB0s111r1\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Tennis Abstract<\/a>, in 2016 outside of Grand Slam qualifying, he only reached that threshold in 3 out of his other 37 matches on hard court: versus unranked WC Zhicheng Zhu at Shenzhen Q1, versus 1365-ranked WC Pavel Krainik at Canada Masters Q1, and against Adrian Mannarino at Los Cabos, which is a big outlier\u2026 and the conditions in Mexico are quite slow, favoring the returner.<\/p>\n<p>Let&#8217;s go back and focus in Thursday&#8217;s match, where the Australian ship sank right off the bat. An opening-game break prompted Kyrgios to unleash his repertoire of shenanigans. Not splitting before the return, attempting massive <del>dragonballs<\/del>, forehands over and over&#8230;nothing too serious until he activated the <del>IDGAF<\/del> tank mode.<\/p>\n<blockquote class=\"twitter-tweet\" data-lang=\"en\">\n<p lang=\"sv\" dir=\"ltr\">Nick Kyrgios: Tank mode ON <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/hashtag\/NextGen?src=hash\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">#NextGen<\/a> <a href=\"https:\/\/t.co\/KyXa16Fwtj\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">pic.twitter.com\/KyXa16Fwtj<\/a><\/p>\n<p>&mdash; Ardeal (@UnArdeal) <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/UnArdeal\/status\/786132959992569856\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">October 12, 2016<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p><script async src=\"\/\/platform.twitter.com\/widgets.js\" charset=\"utf-8\"><\/script><\/p>\n<p>The chair umpire proceeded to give the Mr. Hyde version of Kyrgios a verbal warning. Nevertheless, the 21-year-old\u00b4s effort kept waning and the spectators were starting to grow tired of the situation.<\/p>\n<blockquote class=\"twitter-tweet\" data-width=\"550\" data-dnt=\"true\">\n<p lang=\"en\" dir=\"ltr\">Umpire after the eephus serve on BP: &#39;&#39;Nick you can&#39;t play like that. It&#39; s just not professional. This is a pro tournament&#39;&#39; <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/hashtag\/Kyrgios?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">#Kyrgios<\/a><\/p>\n<p>&mdash; Pabs | ourense.eth \u2708\ufe0f\ud83c\udfe8 (@pablomosquera_) <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/pablomosquera_\/status\/786132565354840064?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">October 12, 2016<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p><script async src=\"https:\/\/platform.twitter.com\/widgets.js\" charset=\"utf-8\"><\/script><\/p>\n<p>During the changeover between the first and second sets, the recent Rakuten Open champion implied he wanted to go home as soon as possible, according to journalist Reem Abulleil.<\/p>\n<p>Indeed, in the second set Kyrgios did nothing noteworthy except for picking up a verbal scuffle with an upset fan.<\/p>\n<blockquote class=\"twitter-tweet\" data-lang=\"en\">\n<p lang=\"en\" dir=\"ltr\">Guy in a crowd: You gotta respect the game.<br \/>Kyrgios: You wanna come here and play? &#8230;. Sit down &amp; shut up and watch<\/p>\n<p>&mdash; Reem Abulleil (@ReemAbulleil) <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/ReemAbulleil\/status\/786141946251214848\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">October 12, 2016<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p><script async src=\"\/\/platform.twitter.com\/widgets.js\" charset=\"utf-8\"><\/script><\/p>\n<p>The failed circus shot at match point sums up the Canberra native\u00b4s approach to this encounter. Props to Zverev for withstanding the show. It\u00b4s definitely not easy to remain focused throughout the farce.<\/p>\n<blockquote class=\"twitter-video\" data-lang=\"en\">\n<p lang=\"tr\" dir=\"ltr\">Ma\u00e7 sonu Nick Kyrgios&#39;un hareketleri \u00e7ok konu\u015fulacak gibi duruyor&#8230; Yine hareket yok! <a href=\"https:\/\/t.co\/EgomqCulfw\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">pic.twitter.com\/EgomqCulfw<\/a><\/p>\n<p>&mdash; Santra Lig (@SantraLigcom) <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/SantraLigcom\/status\/786144618580578304\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">October 12, 2016<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p><script async src=\"\/\/platform.twitter.com\/widgets.js\" charset=\"utf-8\"><\/script><\/p>\n<p>With all due respect to Zverev, Granollers, and Vasek Pospisil, the long-awaited blockbuster matchup between Novak Djokovic and Kyrgios did not seem far-fetched this week. Is the chance of proving himself on the big stage against the best player in the world not sufficient motivation to give a stout effort on the court?<\/p>\n<p>Even though he had hinted he <a href=\"https:\/\/www.instagram.com\/p\/BLQtIlUAxdF\/\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">missed his girlfriend<\/a> Ajla Tomljanovic, that is not a legit excuse to disrespect the sport. Despite having tweeted he needed to catch a break after the brilliant Tokyo title run, there was no reason to disappoint all the fans.<\/p>\n<blockquote class=\"twitter-tweet\" data-lang=\"en\">\n<p lang=\"en\" dir=\"ltr\">Shanghai bound now and back to it all over again. No time to stop and savour anything. <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/hashtag\/TourGrind?src=hash\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">#TourGrind<\/a> <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/hashtag\/ThatsHowItGoes?src=hash\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">#ThatsHowItGoes<\/a><\/p>\n<p>&mdash; Nicholas Kyrgios (@NickKyrgios) <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/NickKyrgios\/status\/785031342551597056\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">October 9, 2016<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p><script async src=\"\/\/platform.twitter.com\/widgets.js\" charset=\"utf-8\"><\/script><\/p>\n<p>All the detractors must be oozing joy and hoping for a hefty fine or even a suspension. On the other hand, the apologists are surely disgusted by the pathetic performance. It\u00b4s a no-win scenario, Nicholas. Admitting your fault is a good start, at least.<\/p>\n<blockquote class=\"twitter-tweet\" data-lang=\"es\">\n<p lang=\"en\" dir=\"ltr\">Not good enough today on many levels, I&#39;m better than that. I can go on about excuses but there are none. Sorry <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/hashtag\/StillAWorkInProgress?src=hash\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">#StillAWorkInProgress<\/a> ????<\/p>\n<p>&mdash; Nicholas Kyrgios (@NickKyrgios) <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/NickKyrgios\/status\/786175642509254660\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">12 de octubre de 2016<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p><script async src=\"\/\/platform.twitter.com\/widgets.js\" charset=\"utf-8\"><\/script><\/p>\n<p>Main Photo:<\/p>\n<div class=\"getty embed image\" style=\"background-color:#fff;display:inline-block;font-family:'Helvetica Neue',Helvetica,Arial,sans-serif;color:#a7a7a7;font-size:11px;width:100%;max-width:594px;\">\n<div style=\"padding:0;margin:0;text-align:left;\"><a href=\"http:\/\/www.gettyimages.com\/detail\/614171526\" target=\"_blank\" style=\"color:#a7a7a7;text-decoration:none;font-weight:normal !important;border:none;display:inline-block;\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Embed from Getty Images<\/a><\/div>\n<div style=\"overflow:hidden;position:relative;height:0;padding:66.666667% 0 0 0;width:100%;\"><iframe loading=\"lazy\" src=\"\/\/embed.gettyimages.com\/embed\/614171526?et=q3e1LoGSQthinIEQKTmiHQ&#038;viewMoreLink=on&#038;sig=-eVNlGKUJYPObQ6OKiiEhGWoimJ1a2IQpyrKXtLiLp0=&#038;caption=true\" width=\"594\" height=\"396\" scrolling=\"no\" frameborder=\"0\" style=\"display:inline-block;position:absolute;top:0;left:0;width:100%;height:100%;margin:0;\"><\/iframe><\/div>\n<p style=\"margin:0;\">\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Days after the biggest title of his career, the Australian goes bananas again Today we witnessed the latest episode of Tankapalooza, featuring Nick Kyrgios. The current #14 in the Emirates ATP Rankings delighted us tennis fans with yet another degrading spectacle. Mischa Zverev barely broke a sweat in a 6-3 6-1 victory over the mercurial [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1663,"featured_media":538,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_lmt_disableupdate":"","_lmt_disable":"","sfio_featured_image":false,"sfio_embed_code":"","_ef_editorial_meta_date_first-draft-date":"","_ef_editorial_meta_paragraph_assignment":"","_ef_editorial_meta_checkbox_needs-photo":"","_ef_editorial_meta_number_word-count":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[2,3],"tags":[209,253,48],"class_list":["post-503","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-featured","category-atp","tag-nick-kyrgios","tag-shanghai","tag-tennis"],"modified_by":"Yesh Ginsburg","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/tennis\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/503","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/tennis\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/tennis\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/tennis\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1663"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/tennis\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=503"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/tennis\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/503\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/tennis\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/538"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/tennis\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=503"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/tennis\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=503"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/tennis\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=503"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}