2018 Mercedes Cup...ATP 250...Stuttgart, Germany

[don_budge]

Curious Kyrgios...The Curious Case of Nick (The Jerk) Kyrgios

This guy is a real whopper. A whopper of a curious case. On the one hand you have knowledgeable people in the tennis industry who flip out telling you how talented this guy is. But what has he done? I will tell you what he has done...absolutely nothing. Nothing except create a tremendous amount of speculation regarding his talent and why he isn't fulfilling it.

I watched as much as I could stand of him yesterday and it wasn't all that much. He eventually won his match against the young and incredibly strong Maximilian Marterer 6-4, 4-6, 6-3. But it was always in question if he would actually finish the match. So now the question is about his match with Feliciano Lopez and if he wins that it will be about his next round. You see...there are always questions swirling around his performance/behavior.

Down below in the bottom half of the draw there is another question mark...in fact a match between two question marks. Milos Raonic versus Thomas Berdych. Raonic was being touted as a shoe-in for some Grand Slam title but hasn't delivered for a variety of reasons. A lot of injury excuses. His opponent Thomas Berdych has also been a somewhat questionable competitor over the years. A lot of hope and expectations but not much in the way of big titles to show for it.

But it is all about Roger at the Mercedes Cup. The reason Nick Kyrgios is even on my radar screen is because if Nick and Roger win today they play in the semifinals. If they do...just look out. These guys have played each other twice. Both matches going three sets and all three sets in each match going to a tie-breaker. Their match at Miami in 2017 was my two out of three set match of the year. The level of pressure being applied by and to each player was just spell binding. Riveting action.

But first things first. Roger Federer vs. Guido Pella and "Curious" Kyrgios vs. Feliciano Lopez.

[don_budge]

Suddenly...The Old Man and the Sea

Putting in the Laps...Preparation, preparation, preparation

Speaking of lefties...

So Roger is out ahead of the field as he awaits the opponent of the next round...the winner of Guido Pella and Prajnesh Gunneswaran. Then it is anybodies guess in the semis. Is Nick Kyrgios in the house? You never know about Nick. His name is in the draw but is his head and heart elsewhere.

Roger goes away for a few months and look what happens. A Star is Born. Stefano Tsitsipas isn't up to full speed yet but he is promising and watchable. More watchable than every single player on the professional tennis tour other than Roger Federer. Wouldn't it be something to see the two of them match up in the quarters of Wimbledon? Wait...didn't I say that someplace else?

Now there are two. THESE TWO versus Anybody. When they are playing at the same time as they will be overlapping today, who do you watch? Answer...both. My iMac is hooked up to my 40" smart TV via a cable that I bought at Media Mart for 159 Swedish Kronor. That's just about twenty American bucks. How's that for smart money. I can watch both simultaneously on tennistv.com. Life is good...is it not? Tsitsipas vs. Gasquet and Roger versus Guido Pella of Argentina. Another left handed player. Good for Roger that he saw the southpaw spin in his first round against Mischa Zverev. It will come as less of a shock but it will seem to be alien. You never quite get used to it...do you? It's coming from the wrong direction.

Head to head Roger owns Guido 1-0. This is a bit different than a lot of the 7-0 and better records he owns against many of the top players on the tour. For instance he is 17-2 against Richard Gasquet. Plus the only win over Pella was a 7-6- 7-6, 6-3 win over the Argentinian at Wimbledon. in 2016. Pella is currently ranked #75 but that makes him a bit dangerous to a Champion like Roger. Things on the grass can get a bit dicey if you are tentative or "rusty". Again...the match against Zverev is going to pay dividends here in Stuttgart. The home of Mercedes and PORSCHE.

Watch Roger play tennis. He isn't going to be around forever. Try to get a finger on his pulse and gage his level of performance and where he needs to be in the run up to Wimbledon. He wants to get in form and get there in a hurry. He needs matches. I am afraid that when it is all said and done he might be asking himself why he didn't play the French. Maybe...maybe not. But at the same time watch Stefano. Try not to get a kink in your neck in the meantime.

[don_budge]

Putting in the Laps...Preparation, preparation, preparation

It looks to me as if he could play Mischa Zverev in the first match of his comeback. A nice test on the grass with the older Zverev being one of the more accomplished grass court players currently on tour. Accomplished in the sense he will employ the serve and volley technique. Not so accomplished that he is threat for titles.

Truly a deadly sin in life...wasting your talent.

http://www.atpworldtour.com/en/score...chtype=singles

Federer-Zverev was entertaining. Amazing how some forecourt prowess can make tennis entertaining again.

Expected some rust from Federer. Tough first match to play against Zverev, a player who will not engage in too many long rallies nor give you any rhythm, and he's a left. Federer got by. Another win under his belt and another day in Stuttgart.

Your wife would enjoy the Cayenne. Great car. Practicality of a SUV with the performance and engagement of a Porsche. The Swedish tax might be costly though.

Kyle LaCroix USPTA
Boca Raton

Mischa Zverev is a very interesting player. He's had his ups and downs over the course of the years. Injuries...certainly his fair share of disappointments. But he is resilient. He keeps bouncing back and he gets to take some swings at the big boys. Yesterday he was swinging away and he caught Roger Federer wearing a rust suit in the first set. You cannot underestimate the left handed advantage either...particularly on the lawn where the serve can be swung into the seats.

Speaking of lefties...Denis "The Menace" seems to be experiencing some growing pains. I think that he needs to grow into his brain. Speaking of a waste of talent...so far he has yet to find himself. The bouncing between the legs in the pre-serve routine has to go, but it probably won't, and the backwards baseball cap speaks of a sloppiness. A lack of attention to detail. Details such as coming to each and every match with a game plan...some tactics and thoughtfulness. So far he is all muscle. A muscle head. His nemesis was yet another left-handed player...Prajnesh Gunneswaran from India. Prainesh never bounced the ball in his pre-serve routine. A stunning tactic in itself. In todays modern game of tennis some players, not mentioning any names, take forever to put the damn ball in play. The left handed advantage cuts both ways when it is two lefties out there. It isn't pretty sometimes but it's unpredictable. Particularly so on the lawn.

So Roger is out ahead of the field as he awaits the opponent of the next round...the winner of Guido Pella and Prajnesh Gunneswaran. Then it is anybodies guess in the semis. Is Nick Kyrgios in the house? You never know about Nick. His name is in the draw but is his head and heart elsewhere.

[klacr]

Federer-Zverev was entertaining. Amazing how some forecourt prowess can make tennis entertaining again.

Expected some rust from Federer. Tough first match to play against Zverev, a player who will not engage in too many long rallies nor give you any rhythm, and he's a left. Federer got by. Another win under his belt and another day in Stuttgart.

Your wife would enjoy the Cayenne. Great car. Practicality of a SUV with the performance and engagement of a Porsche. The Swedish tax might be costly though.

Kyle LaCroix USPTA
Boca Raton

[don_budge]

Roger's back...and I am Loving It!!!

It was a really good match. A perfect start against a perfect opponent. Mischa never allowed Federer to get a good rhythm. He was jerking in fits and starts. The serve and volley pressure was adequate and it forced the Swiss Maestro to be decisive. To be clear. He found what he needed in the end. It may not have been what he wanted. But as you know...you can't always get what you want.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oqMl5CRoFdk

Guess what song President Donald J. Trump chose for his acceptance when he won the Presidency of the United States of America. You can't always get what you want...but if you try some time...you just might find...you can get what you need.

[don_budge]

Really interesting here to put this match in perspective. This is all about Roger finding the form that will enable him to compete for the title at Wimbledon. In a sense this match is quite meaningless but Roger knows in his heart he cannot afford to treat it as such. He has to start playing as if it is the finals of Wimbledon so he can prepare himself for that feeling. Preparation...preparation...preparation.

Here we go...a lob over Zverev's head. He chases it down and handles it properly...classically speaking. But to no avail. He got a lob up that forced Federer to bounce. Federer smashed, Zverev returned and Federer volleyed deftly and short. No play. On the very next point Federer hit another excellent lob that Zverev dumped in the net. Two points later it is a break for Federer. Game on.

[don_budge]

Beautiful rendition of the serve and volley game from Mscha Zverev against an obviously rusty Roger Federer. It will be interesting to see how Federer reacts to being viscerally dissected in front of the Stuttgart crowd...6-3.

The wife is looking at the Porsche Cayenne on the internet.

Wow...Zverev just laced a backhand return up the line and in the corner to go up 15.30 on Roger's first service game in the second set. You know it's too bad that the kid brother doesn't have a bit more of the Big Brother's game in his repertoire. Wow...there's another backhand ripped for a break point. Roger sprays a forehand. for another break point and then misses the first serve. He save he game with a nice approach and volley. It isn't going to be easy this time. Roger needs a lot of match play.

Pretty darned good second set for a first tournament of the season on grass. Federer broke first then Zverev broke right back. Federer then broke again for the set. The play has been a bit spotty but that is to be expected on this venue. It will be interesting now to see if Federer can seal the deal. This is one of the really interesting psychological aspects of match play. Getting the horse in the barn. Nerves tend to get a bit tight at this point and it is no time to get cute. You have to hammer the point home. Drive the stake in the heart. You can't get squeamish.

[don_budge]

With Federer-Zverev, we should see some nice serve and volley action. The whole world is excited that Roger is back. But let's keep the eyes on the prize...Wimbledon. Federer will be/should be the favorite and I'd love for him to stay ahead of Rafa by 4 grand slams. A victory at Wimbledon would give Fed 21.
Stuttgart is nice. Stuttgart-Zuffenhausen is also home to Porsche. Phil and I know about those all too well. It's an addiction. The growl of a Porsche. A high revving naturally aspirated engine that sings to redline is the only kind of engine that belongs in a sports car.

Kyle LaCroix USPTA
Boca Raton

Beautiful rendition of the serve and volley game from Mscha Zverev against an obviously rusty Roger Federer. It will be interesting to see how Federer reacts to being viscerally dissected in front of the Stuttgart crowd...6-3.

The wife is looking at the Porsche Cayenne on the internet.

Wow...Zverev just laced a backhand return up the line and in the corner to go up 15.30 on Roger's first service game in the second set. You know it's too bad that the kid brother doesn't have a bit more of the Big Brother's game in his repertoire. Wow...there's another backhand ripped for a break point. Roger sprays a forehand. for another break point and then misses the first serve. He save he game with a nice approach and volley. It isn't going to be easy this time. Roger needs a lot of match play.

[klacr]

With Federer-Zverev, we should see some nice serve and volley action. The whole world is excited that Roger is back. But let's keep the eyes on the prize...Wimbledon. Federer will be/should be the favorite and I'd love for him to stay ahead of Rafa by 4 grand slams. A victory at Wimbledon would give Fed 21.
Stuttgart is nice. Stuttgart-Zuffenhausen is also home to Porsche. Phil and I know about those all too well. It's an addiction. The growl of a Porsche. A high revving naturally aspirated engine that sings to redline is the only kind of engine that belongs in a sports car.

Kyle LaCroix USPTA
Boca Raton

[don_budge]

Roger Federer in the House...Mercedes Cup, Stuttgart, Germany

http://www.atpworldtour.com/en/news/...ederer-preview

Did I mention the time I was in Stuttgart, Germany. It was 1989 and Michail Gorbatjov was in Berlin overseeing the final detail of the demise of the Berlin Wall. Interesting experience. I don't remember much about Stuttgart but I did know that it was the home of Mercedes Benz. We were driving a BMW...zooming down the Autobahn.

But Roger Federer doesn't need to zoom anywhere these days. He saunters in and just takes control of the place. We have waited for his return and I still feel he should have played the French. He needs matches and it showed in his last foray into the sun. Maybe it was something else in Indian Wells and Miami. He wasn't himself. It seems to me that I remember some talk that he may have had a cold. He was wearing a beard in California. He was irritable. Well...it's in the past. The rear view.

Staring in his sights now is Mischa Zverev. Roger is 5-0 head to head with Mischa and three of those matches were on grass. This is probably as good a first round as he could have. This is going to be interesting. The run-up to Wimbledon. The whole strategy with the dodgy schedule was to time it right for Wimbledon so let's sit back and watch. He is a master at this sort of thing. The draw is going to be somewhat weakened but there are a couple of characters to be reckoned with. But for now it is one point at a time. Staying in the moment means that point just in front of your nose. Don't get ahead of yourself and don't worry about the past. Just focus. Come on Roger. One more time.

[gzhpcu]

I bet...

[bottle]

don_budge came back by popular demand...

Boy, I'm glad I don't have to depend on popular demand. But the tennis has been picking up.

[gzhpcu]

don_budge came back by popular demand...

[bottle]

You mean, you felt worthless when you weren't writing in this forum? Conversely, why did you come back? Why not just stay away and finish your novel?

[don_budge]

The Draw...Gentlemen Start Your Engines

easy search here

That's right stroke...here we have the LCD. The love of the game. Speaking of the love of the game...here is the draw. It's a beauty too. Roger Federer is the number one seed. It looks to me as if he could play Mischa Zverev in the first match of his comeback. A nice test on the grass with the older Zverev being one of the more accomplished grass court players currently on tour. Accomplished in the sense he will employ the serve and volley technique. Not so accomplished that he is threat for titles. In Federer's next match he could very well be up against Denis "The Menace" Shapovolav...although there is an Aussie in Shapovalov's named John Millman who may have all court lawn tennis in his Aussie genes.

After all of that is said and done Nick "The Jerk" Kyrgios is in the bottom of Roger's half and that would be a great match if it should materialize. But don't count on it...or don't bet on it if you are in stroke's world of bookmakers and odds makers. Nick has yet to show any kind of consistency as of late. In fact he has been making a habit of entering tournaments only to withdraw because of injury...or mental illness. Poor Nick...or so you might be led to believe. This guy is wasting opportunities. Truly a deadly sin in life...wasting your talent.

http://www.atpworldtour.com/en/score...chtype=singles