Rafael Nadal and Nishikori may have tough openers on their hands on Wednesday in Shanghai. They are going up against Ivo Karlovic and Nick Kyrgios, respectively.
(8) Rafael Nadal vs. Ivo Karlovic
Nadal and Karlovic will be going head-to-head for the fifth time in their careers and for the first time since 2011 when they meet again in round two of the Shanghai Rolex Masters on Wednesday. All four of their previous encounters have gone Nadal’s way, but he has never finished the job in straight sets. Twice the Spaniard has prevailed in a third-set tiebreaker; on the grass courts of Queen’s Club in 2008 and three years later in Indian Wells.
Karlovic is through to the last 32 thanks to a 6-4, 7-6(6) victory over Jeremy Chardy on Monday. The 36-year-old Croat is 34-21 on the season and registers at an impressive 21st in the world. Nadal is coming off a successful campaign in Beijing, where he reached the final before succumbing to Novak Djokovic. The No. 8 seed is 9-5 lifetime in Shanghai and a shocking 5-5 in his last 10 matches. Nothing suggests this will be an easy one for the Nadal, but he should once again survive the Karlovic serve in the end.
Pick: Nadal in 3
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(6) Kei Nishikori vs. Nick Kyrgios
Nishikori is looking to bounce back from–by his standards–a premature exit in Tokyo, where the defending champion was upset by Benoit Paire in the semifinals. Japan’s top player is a stellar 51-12 for his 2015 campaign, but he has underwhelmed for the most part ever since hammering Nadal in the Montreal quarterfinals. Since reaching the Shanghai semis in 2011, Nishikori is 3-3 at the event and has not advanced past the third round.
Up first for the world No. 6 is a showdown with Kyrgios, whom he has never faced. The 20-year-old Australian punched his ticket to the second round by destroying Andreas Haider-Maurer 6-3, 6-2 on Monday. Thus continued a sudden turnaround in form, as Kyrgios slumped after Wimbledon but made it to the semifinals in Kuala Lumpur and the quarters in Tokyo. This is a good opportunity for one of the world No. 32’s biggest wins, and he may be able to capitalize if he serves like he did in round one–63 percent, 13 aces, and only one double-fault.
Pick: Kyrgios in 3
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Kyrgios and Karlovic in 3
Nadal in 2 and Nishikori in 3
ditto
Keep calm, stay focused and show your fighting spirit, Rafa!
https://pbs.twimg.com/media/CRNX_JwW8AAL3oV.png:medium
Looking at the pic of Rafa on the practice court, I noticed how far over his right foot is leaning and it reminded me of the foot deformity which nearly derailed his tennis career.
I Googled to see if there was any mention of it recently and found this:
http://www.theaustralian.com.au/sport/nadal-on-brink-of-oblivion-as-his-greatest-fear-arrives/story-e6frg7mf-1226452902007
No wonder he looked so anxious after rolling his ankle in the final laslt Sunday.
ed251137 (at 5:29 pm),
I didn’t read the article you posted, I know the story. I only say that Rafa’s LEFT foot is deformed.
Bahahaha wtf is this keep calm bs ? Lame
I stated I’d put the link to the article on the Rafa thread (which is where it probably belonged) but just seen it was here. I couldn’t have told you which foot is deformed but jumped to the conclusion it was the right foot which he turned over on Sunday. Thanks for pointing out the error.
Rafa’s feet are not “deformed”. According to his book, there’s a congenital defect in a small bone in his *left* foot which has made it vulnerable to physical stress. Apparently Rafa has it under control – I haven’t seen him call a trainer for his left foot in ages.
well said
My original comment was abbreviated to avoid a turgid medical explanation!
I’ll rephrase: a congenital (i.e. not inherited) defect resulted in an incorrectly formed tarsal scaphoid……..etc. which was corrected by wearing modified shoes………etc, etc.
What is more relevant is the modified shoes, while reducing the risk of severe stress in the tarsal scaphoid, caused greater strain to the back and knees.
i.e.correcting one problem resulted in secondary problems. Anyone who has suffered a severe strain to any joint will be will be familiar with this cycle.
#Semantics
#Pedantry
ed251137 (at 5:07 am),
Correct!
At the age of 19, Rafa started to wear an inner sole (designed by Nike and doctors) in his tennis-shoe to take the weight off the troublesome tarsal bone. But, this has caused problems with muscles and tendons at the knee as the weight in his leg is subtly shifted.
Someone’s got a huuuuuge foot fetish
Not a fetish. But I am obsessed by the state of Rafa’s health, including his feet 😉
Kyrgios takes the 1st set 61
Kyrgios challenging Kei’s serve after hitting several shots and losing the point.
Kei is holding his own in the 2nd set and Kyrgios is letting the bad call get to him.
Tomic is a set and a break up against Ferrer.
2 breaks
Nice updates bro
Tomic beats Ferrer – 64 62
Kei takes the 2nd set and Nick is arguing about a bad call 3 points ago.
What was that ball that Chang just threw onto the court? Is it their magic ball?
Have a nasty feeling Kei is going to lose this
Kyrgios challenging his own good serve after a great return by Kei.
Phew. Dont know how he managed it but he scraped through.
Kei beat Nick – 16 64 64. At the beginning of the game I didn’t think Kei would win a game but Nick couldn’t keep it up he started making mistakes once Kei won a few games.
The ATP now says even if Nick is fined for his code violation today by hitting the ball into the crowd he will not be banned. ???????????
I was aggravated by NK’s over familiarity with Lyhani who was who was leaning over backward to lenient with him. He is fully aware of his commercial value to tennis and is milking it for all its worth. He knows the threats are issued with a forked tongue.
I’ve come to the conclusion all the umpires, tournament directors and TV commentators are under orders to talk Kyrgios up.
#DoubleStandards
They ought to pay Rafa for Kyrgios’ claim to fame.
Kyrgios should already start the match with a code violation, just for good measure.
Tomic really gave Ferrer a good pounding…
Shanghai is the most populated city in the world, yet the stands are empty, obviously, because people can’t have time of from work.
Rafa’s got a full house.
Vamos Rafa!
Your right there are more people than for most of the matches. But it cannot be described as a full house by any stretch of the imagination.