Hopman Cup 2017 - Jan 1 to Jan 7

[vaughany]

This is the future right here.
Guys like Zverev and Coric are the next generation that will be genuine stars.

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[pepsi]

This is the future right here.
Guys like Zverev and Coric are the next generation that will be genuine stars.

Not convinced about coric. Think he'll have more of a nishikori type career. Not tall enough and no absolute weapon.

 

[ozgamer]

Not convinced about coric. Think he'll have more of a nishikori type career. Not tall enough and no absolute weapon.

He's listed as 6 ft 1 but agree with everything else you said.

 

[crowsarethebest]

I think that's an unfavourable assessment of Kyrgios. His serve, power off both wings, shotmaking and ability to swing from defence to offence quickly are a number of areas, off the top of my head, where he has the advantage over Zverev. In contrast Zverev's backhand, temperament, movement, return and feel are better. I think they'll be two guys fighting for supremacy for many years to come - I don't really expect one to be miles better than the other.

That's true, Nick has maybe the more top end finishing power, however he doesn't hit very hard in terms of his normal rallying strokes. His background is a short arm jab- very little wrong with it and effective, a bit flat but does have some ability to hit a cross court winner. His forehand is very spinny- IMO it is to the detriment of his game. When he first burst onto the tour he hit a bit flatter with less margin for error- he made more errors but he generally was extremely aggressive. His forehand reminds me of what happened to Roddick over time- Too much topspin and needs to flatten it out and go for it at every opportunity. He's become more content with sitting in long rallies when he really should model his game on someone like Sampras- full on aggression off the ground even if it means a few more errors. I get he's trying to be a more well rounded player but his game in his prime should be to take every point by the scruff of the neck and end each point within 6 shots. He needs to be in control of the rally from the get go.

Nick has a lot going for him for sure but the guy with more potential in his game and more substance IMO is Zverev. To win a slam you need consistency over 7 matches, and Zverev's game in general has greater chance for that. I feel mentally Zverev is better at digging in- Nick is the ultimate front runner, when he gets a lead, a break he is near unstoppable. However if you stick tight with him over the set he will crack at some stage. Once you get that crack I don't think Nick has that innate ability to dig in and play solid stable tennis to work his way back into a match or set- basically when the going gets tough Nick wilts. Zverev has shown he's got that competitive edge - although he's screwed up a few winning positions in his short time on tour I don't see it as a long term problem with him.

 

[PonsfordMagpie]

This is the future right here.
Guys like Zverev and Coric are the next generation that will be genuine stars.

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Kyrgios, Zverev, Pouille and Fritz are the four most exciting prospects in my opinion.

 

[Dannnnnnnnnn]

That's true, Nick has maybe the more top end finishing power, however he doesn't hit very hard in terms of his normal rallying strokes. His background is a short arm jab- very little wrong with it and effective, a bit flat but does have some ability to hit a cross court winner. His forehand is very spinny- IMO it is to the detriment of his game. When he first burst onto the tour he hit a bit flatter with less margin for error- he made more errors but he generally was extremely aggressive. His forehand reminds me of what happened to Roddick over time- Too much topspin and needs to flatten it out and go for it at every opportunity. He's become more content with sitting in long rallies when he really should model his game on someone like Sampras- full on aggression off the ground even if it means a few more errors. I get he's trying to be a more well rounded player but his game in his prime should be to take every point by the scruff of the neck and end each point within 6 shots. He needs to be in control of the rally from the get go.

Nick has a lot going for him for sure but the guy with more potential in his game and more substance IMO is Zverev. To win a slam you need consistency over 7 matches, and Zverev's game in general has greater chance for that. I feel mentally Zverev is better at digging in- Nick is the ultimate front runner, when he gets a lead, a break he is near unstoppable. However if you stick tight with him over the set he will crack at some stage. Once you get that crack I don't think Nick has that innate ability to dig in and play solid stable tennis to work his way back into a match or set- basically when the going gets tough Nick wilts. Zverev has shown he's got that competitive edge - although he's screwed up a few winning positions in his short time on tour I don't see it as a long term problem with him.

I agree with a lot of this so I won't address every point.

With regard to the consistency of various game styles, it is true that Zverev's game is generally the more consistent style. However, I would argue that Kyrgios already displays a level of consistency not often seen with his style of play - provided his head is screwed on, which, yes, isn't a given by any stretch. Most of Nick's losses in 2016 were to top ten players. He did drop games to players he shouldn't have across the year, true, but I believe his game itself is unreasonably consistent given the nature of his tennis. As such I don't believe the distinction between Zverev and Kyrgios is all that obvious in this regard. Zverev will likely be the more consistent - but Kyrgios is already more consistent than he gets credit for (particularly across surfaces) in my view.

Mentally I agree on some level, but I do think there is a bit of recency bias there. When Nick first burst onto the scene his clutch nature was one of the things that got him noticed, and this was displayed through juniors as well. He was renowned for saving a bunch of break points and for coming back with some seriously big-time tennis under pressure. As he began to struggle with the attention, though, this unravelled a bit. I certainly do believe Nick has the innate ability to "hang in there" - but in recent times he hasn't been in a good place, which has made it difficult to replicate. Now, I said I agreed on some level, and I do - Zverev has to be rated higher on this category because that ability hasn't "disappeared" in recent times. The question is, though, whether Kyrgios can recover some of what made him special in the first place as he matures. I certainly don't think that ability just vanishes.

With all of this said, Kyrgios' head is the biggest factor here. If he can't control it as he matures then there is little doubt that Zverev will be the better player, and I do agree that the latter is more well-rounded - but if Kyrgios does mature, I think he'll surprise some with just how far his game will go.

 

[vaughany]

Best match of the Hopman Cup so far

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[danstar]

love the crowd in perth, "give us a tiebreak", zverev replies im trying

 

[Dannnnnnnnnn]

Great match. Well done to Zverev.

 

[Redline]

Has anyone pulled out of this tournament yet? The last few years haven't been kind. It wouldn't surprise me to see Ebden play instead of Kyrgios tomorrow night.

 

[Drummond]

Awesome, awesome player. His BH is a thing of beauty. Big things in store.

 

[Dannnnnnnnnn]

Has anyone pulled out of this tournament yet? The last few years haven't been kind. It wouldn't surprise me to see Ebden play instead of Kyrgios tomorrow night.

Speaking of guys I forgot existed...

 

[Redline]

Speaking of guys I forgot existed...

He has been Federer's hitting partner in Perth. Not sure what his plans are for the year.

 

[danstar]

Oh federer never leave tennis such a great entertainer even during the sit down between games while watching his team mate

 

[PonsfordMagpie]

Great match and very entertaining to watch.

 

[Bumpswithagrin]

Watching the mixed doubles. What is that weird squeak that Petkovic does when she serves? Fair dinkum, the sooner though outlaw all these stupid noises the better.

 

[bato]

Is Kyrgios even trying?

 

[bato]

Lol, I think this set answers my question. Why tank first few service games then attempt to fight back? Makes no sense.

 

[Bumpswithagrin]

Is Kyrgios even trying?

Carrying an injury, Australia is already out of the running for the final, it's an exhibition tournament, he tried in his first few matches, probably over it a bit now --> lack of effort from Nick. Not making excuses but pretty much par from the course from Nick. Still needs to work on maintaining his intensity for every match. Obviously something that's difficult for him for whatever reason.

 

[scottywiper]

Kyrgios is a POS. At this level I have never seen a bloke hit a ball on the full from metres behind the base line, thereby losing the point.

 

[bato]

Carrying an injury, Australia is already out of the running for the final, it's an exhibition tournament, he tried in his first few matches, probably over it a bit now --> lack of effort from Nick. Not making excuses but pretty much par from the course from Nick. Still needs to work on maintaining his intensity for every match. Obviously something that's difficult for him for whatever reason.

Retire then. Would've been better to see someone else play instead.

 

[juice t]

And this is why I understand why Robert Walls had Strempel beaten up

 

[crowsarethebest]

It's pretty obvious he doesn't want to be there, dead rubber or not the guy is a clown

 

[Dannnnnnnnnn]

Think I'll switch back to Brisbane...

 

[Bumpswithagrin]

Retire then. Would've been better to see someone else play instead.

Agree completely, retire or play with proper intensity. He'll cop a heap of s#%¥ if he retires though and he knows it.