Nick Kyrgios is clearly every bit as fired up about tonight’s mega clash with world No.2 Daniil Medvedev as the Australian public.
The brash Aussie was at his showman best in his dominant straight-sets win over Liam Broady on Tuesday night, setting up a blockbuster second round match-up with the Russian superstar.
In some ways it’s a dream early tournament for scenario for Tennis Australia, guaranteeing a bumper crowd and a monster TV audience before the heavyweights generally meet in the second week.
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Yet, as a consequence of the surging wave of COVID-19 cases, an otherwise packed to the brim Rod Laver Arena will only be half full, after it was last week announced that a 50 per cent crowd cap would be introduced for any sessions where tickets hadn’t already been sold above that cut-off.
Naturally, the remaining tickets for tonight’s session at Rod laver Arena have now been snapped up, with Kyrgios responding to a tweet urging TA and the government to rethink the cap: “I SAY 100%%%%%” he tweeted emphatically.
https://twitter.com/NickKyrgios/status/1483973063314391042?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw
Unfortunately, on this matter, Kyrgios won’t have his voice heard, but if he replicates his performance from Tuesday night the punters who have been lucky enough to snap up a ticket will be rewarded for their investment ten times over.
Such was Kyrgios’ irresistible start to the tournament, he’s injected hope into a campaign many had given up on before he hit a ball, due to his tough draw and his poor preparation, after he came down with COVID-19 just a week before starting his campaign in Melbourne.
Medvedev will be a very different proposition to the outgunned Broady, yet Kyrgios has always loved stepping up against the biggest names in tennis, and that’s exactly the challenge ahead when he faces the tournament favourite.
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“For Nick to win he has to serve really well and he’s got to keep points short,” Todd Woodbridge said on Wide World of Sports’ The Morning Serve.
“Medvedev basically returns from the other side of the Yarra River. And that’s what he does to get the ball back into play.”
Kyrgios started the tournament in ominous serving form, blitzing Broady with his biggest weapon by landing an incredible 81 per cent of his first serves and hitting 21 aces across the three sets.
With Medvedev way back in the court on return, Kyrgios will need to bring something similar to have the match played on his terms.
But that alone won’t get the job done, according to Woodbridge.
“He’s going to have to find something special to be able to get the energy that he likes, to create the chaos that he likes, to be able to beat Medvedev,” Woodbridge said.
“Medvedev is quirky. He brings his own sort of strange energy to matches and I think that’s a good thing.”
The Russian has already acknowledged that tonight’s encounter was a ‘popcorn match’.
“He’s the in-form player on tour,” Woodbridge said of Medvedev.
“Winning that US Open and what he was able to do at the end of the year and how he’s played already in Australia, I think Nick’s going to have to do something special.
“He’s actually going to have to try to get in the head of Medvedev, to rattle him, to engage him, to take him out of the ball-striking and the actual form, tennis-wise, that he brings.”
Yet, arguably Kyrgios’ biggest edge at the Australian Open has been taken away from him for tonight’s match, with tournament director Craig Tiley making the obvious call to schedule the match for Rod Laver Arena, rather than Kyrgios’ preferred John Cain Arena.
On Tuesday Kyrgios was in his element, playing up to the rowdy crowd that took their seats via ground passes that cost around $30 a pop.
Broady later admitted he had found the taunts directed towards him by the crowd “awful” and although Medvedev thrives as the villain and may not have been put off by the pro-Kyrgios arena, the hange in the Aussie when he moves from ‘the peoples’ court’ to the more corporate environment in Rod Laver could be what swings the match.
“When Nick comes on at the Open for the first time, for me it’s like lighting that switch – it’s a bit of that energy that the tournament needs,” Woodbridge said.
“I thought Nick turned up into the match (against Liam Broady) as emotionally controlled as I’ve seen him for a long time.
“He goes 10 wins to three losses on John Cain Arena, and when he goes in to RLA he’s only one win to four losses – generally when he’s in Rod Laver Arena he’s playing the big names; Rafa (Nadal), Andy Murray, those types.
“It’s going to be really tough in that environment – it’s that little more corporate, nice, well mannered, behaved audience in Rod Laver Arena as opposed to his crowd when he goes to John Cain.”
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