AO starting on monday and the draw done today. Any predictions or thoughts?
I'm hoping to win:
Mens: Federer
Womens: Sharapova/Bouchard Although the latter probably has a greater chance of a 1st/2nd round exit :P
Mens: Federer is obviously the favourite, but I am also thinking Dimitrov, Zverev (if he can break his duck of underwhelming Grand Slam exits) or Kyrgios. Maybe Kevin Anderson, because I like South Africans or Andrey Rublev because he is so talented and mature for such a young player. No Andy Murray though :'(I do agree on your other sentiments.
Womens: Hopefully Simona Halep can get this one, especially given her Roland Garros heartbreaks (she's probably my favourite women''s player apart from Sharapova). Elina Svitolina, Caroline Garcia, Jelena Ostapenko, Caroline Wozniacki and Julia Goerges (she has been unbeaten since October, where she has won a Premier tournament and end of year elite trophy as well as beating Wozniacki last week in the Auckland final) are strong contenders as well. It'll be interesting to see how Sharapova goes.
Kyrgios?
What a joke.
The kid is gonna cry "injury" , quit some time halfway or act up anytime something happens. He has the mental fortitude of well.. a baby. He also acts like a knob.
Every year, he pulls some ridiculous BS, I don't trust him at all.
He's a good player and will be absolutely fantastic with some taming. Just immature and hasn't been coached/mentored on PR.He did it to himself..
I feel like his recent behaviour at the Brissy International was a massive improvement and hope it continues for his own development.
I think the media definitely need to back off our up and coming Aussie talent. Pressure isn't good for anyone
The GOAT Kygrios will play the 2nd GOAT Alex De Minaur in the final- a 5 setter than goes to 70-68 in the final set with Kygrios the humble victor.The GOAT? That title belongs to Nathan Lyon alone, Garry himself, no one else.
My problem with Kygrios is the hissy-fits, the racquet-smashingWell, that rules out half the tour!
TOLD YOu :P
http://www.news.com.au/sport/tennis/live-australian-open-2018-day-one-at-melbourne-park/news-story/87f62077dbbc060836ab078a07a2d03c
THe kid swore again. Didn't take too long for him to get back to his antics.
“shut the f*** up” after having his serve interrupted. He fired up at the umpire’s call, questioning why he didn’t tell the crowd to earlier in the match.
Are you even watching the match? I saw it happen on TV and whilst he could've had a better choice of words, the crowd was being noisy as he was trying to serve and the umpire took his sweet time to address it. I also don't think its unreasonable to question why it wasn't addressed swiftly. More media pressure on an Aussie player.I'm done with Tomic lol
Clearly you have some Kyrgios hate going on here :P You might as well link Tomic's incident here too?
Many American tennis players have attitude and behavioural issues, the public are still behind them. Australian people are harsh. Many sports people have had anger issues and have still been successful. Zlatan Ibrahimovic, Andre Agassi, Andy Murray, John Mcenroe, Jelena Ostapenko....difference is those guys could actually back it up with winning trophies
difference is those guys could actually back it up with winning trophies
How do you know that Kyrgios won't either? Murray, Agassi, Ostapenko and Mcenroe's anger issues started when they were teenagers. Many American players-Jack Sock, Ryan Harrison have barely won anything major in singles tennis.everyone you mentioned had won somethiing proper by the time they were 20 (apart from murray who had to face fed/nadal in their primes but still made a final)
If you have issues with Kyrgios, why do you like Bouchard?
Kyrgios doing quite well v Tsonga so farLooks awesome, probably support Kyrgios simply because he's an Aussie, but I am still not a fan of his hissy fits.
Good close match
probably support Kyrgios simply because he's an Aussie, but I am still not a fan of his hissy fits.He has improved significantly. Look at his past couple of matches. That code violation he received in round one was the result of a justified mini-outburst.. apart from that he's been quite good and much more mature than track record. Anyone who says he hasn't improved hasn't watched his recent tennis or just follows the media like a sheep.
I read that the temp in the stadium during the Djokavic-Monfils game reached 60 degrees ????? Crazy.Yep. They shouldn't be allowed to play in extreme heat like that. That's bloody ridiculous.
Hard to talk shit on Kygrios after a win like that...
Hope he gets over Dimitrov and has a red hot crack at the second half of this draw.
Hard to talk shit on Kygrios after a win like that...Mate I have massive respect for Kyrgios' tennis skills, but to be honest I have a minimal amount of respect for him as a person. I far prefer Federer's good attitude off and on court. I believe Bradman was known for similar good-naturedness, if anyone gets the comparison :P
Hope he gets over Dimitrov and has a red hot crack at the second half of this draw.
P.S sidenote - I love how nobody has mentioned Tsonga's crowd outburst yet. It must be ok because it isn't Kyrgios ::)I give criticism to anyone that deserves it.
My goodness....Halep and Davis! One of the best matches I’ve watched. Will be interesting to see who wins :D
Was very impressed with Chung's win over Zverev (ASIAN REPRESENTATION ;D ;D ;D ;D) - not too impressed with Sascha's racquet smash ahaha. Looking forward to how he shapes up against Djokovic!Zverev must have been been almost dead with the heat to go out 6-0 in the final set, a prime example of a young guy almost literally wilting in the heat.
Great game, loved it, but can't say I'm sorry that Kyrgios is out :)
(Now everyone is going to hate me...)
I just saw his press conference he's still got a bit of attitude but that's just him HAHAH
Give him a chance I think he has lifted his game heaps & he said he's got a lot of work to do
Going to back him anyway #straya
It's not about hate.. AN is a discussion forum and as such you have to be expected to receive rebuttal of your views if they differ from somebody else. Hence why with any good argument you have to have a justification/reason to support your statements. For example, if you think Kyrgios is a tool based purely on media reports/the grapevine without watching his games or understanding the entire context (e.g. his work with Camp Quality and the NK foundation), then that view is flawed and should definitely be challenged.The reason I don't like Kyrgios is that I am in favour of sport being fun and for fun. In that respect I don't really like the rise of professional sport for people who often don't really care about it (aka Tomic) despite being very talented. Therefore I am not in favour of bad attitudes, particularly as these people are the role-models of the next generation. And it's not just sports stars, it's people in basically any field who are on TV or whatever and therefore their actions are visible to the public. These people are the role-models of the next generation, and if they don't like it or do not live up to their duty, then I cannot respect them.
Dimitrov the GOATCan't wait for tomorrow, then will it be Fed the GOAT, or will that title still belong to its true owner, Nathan Lyon? How will Chung cope with Djokavic, and how will Fed cope with Fuscovics? Going to be a great day, with Berdych and Thiem playing too. :D
Can't wait for tomorrow, then will it be Fed the GOAT, or will that title still belong to its true owner, Nathan Lyon? How will Chung cope with Djokavic, and how will Fed cope with Fuscovics? Going to be a great day, with Berdych and Thiem playing too. :Dfed's had the title for too long hence giving his imitation dimitrov a shot ;)
I thought Kyrgios would beat Dimitrov since he was playing quite badly the past few days, but my inner Nadal fanboi is secretly a little pleased because I feel like Dimitrov is a bit more beatable than Kyrgios??? Anyway, disappointed with how Nadal played against Schwartzman. :( Don't think he can win anymore.
Who do you guys think will win now?
I thought Kyrgios would beat Dimitrov since he was playing quite badly the past few days, but my inner Nadal fanboi is secretly a little pleased because I feel like Dimitrov is a bit more beatable than Kyrgios??? Anyway, disappointed with how Nadal played against Schwartzman. :( Don't think he can win anymore.yeah i agree Kyrgios has more of an X factor. Also dimitrov's record against nadal (and fed/djoker) is horrendous although he did go 5 sets against him last year iirc.
Who do you guys think will win now?
And Chung takes the first and second set against the Djokavic?!?!?! What happened there? Really good job from him though, and don't forget that he knocked out Wawrinka earlier in the tournament, so he could be an unexpected challenger!not taking anything away from chung who has played brilliantly but djoker is injured also warinka was coming back from injury. Hopefully this means easier road to the title for fed :D
Still backing Fed though
not taking anything away from chung who has played brilliantly but djoker is injureddefinitely. you can just tell. Very sloppy game tonight
Just watched a bit of Kyle Edmund... sensational
nice to see cilic get through despite the circumstances of his victory. Hopefully he can get to the final :D
http://www.smh.com.au/sport/tennis/nick-kyrgios-wanted-to-play-australian-open-doubles-second-round-matt-reid-said-no-20180122-h0mcto.html
Just saw this in the news
A damn shame, but a fantastic match to watch until the end. Cilic v Federer? I'm down! ;DBefore today was hoping dimitrov v fed but ill definitely take that :D
My money’s on Chung, the undisputed #GOAT.You would back Chung to take down Federer, who hasn't yet dropped a set in this AO? You've got to be kidding me!
It’d be weird if Federer ends up winning the Australian open without losing a set given his ageHe's had a pretty decent draw too. However not dropping a set is wonderful.
Hopefully, we have a competitive final that we can enjoyDitto. As much as I feel for Chung, that match was nearly unbearable to watch. Fed was walking all over him, but clearly due to injury. You expect semis to be hard-fought competitive battles and when they aren't, you gasp.
I wouldn't want to have been one of the spectators who paid top dollar to view that (as I'm sure many of you who have gone to a finals match of the AO know, the tickets aren't cheap).
I going to bet that the mens final will be shorter than the womens.In duration or games played? Or both?
In duration or games played? Or both?
Now THAT'S a final.That was an awesome match, so glad Fed won, 20th Slam title for him, and it just highlights how great a player he is. Loved that game!
*thumbs up*