Yoshito Nishioka’s fairy tale in Washington found only one conclusion at the foot of victory. The Japanese tennis player, who had Jason Brooksby, Álex De Miñaur, Karen Khachanov, Dan Evans and, above all, Andrey Rublev, number one seed in the capital, listed in his victim notebook, predictably crashed against Nick Kyrgios, reborn with the Wimbledon final and a completely new player compared to the one we had fallen in love with and apparently hated.
Nishioka, who had never advanced past the quarter-finals of a major tour tournament before Washington, was amazed by the Australian talent’s body language and, above all, by his attitude in the most delicate moments of the match.
Elements, at this point, that seem to characterize Kyrgios, increasingly at ease. “In difficult situations he talks, he talks a lot. However, he always manages to stay focused and do the right thing on the pitch. I think he also has a huge desire to win at the moment and his mentality has improved a lot in recent years.
The hardest thing against him is reading his serve: I think he has the best serve on tour and I also think he’s the hardest player to break. He moves well from the baseline and after the first hit he always manages to put the exchange to his liking.
His is an absolutely complete game”, explained the Japanese player. After the triumphant interlude in the capital, the Japanese – who obtained a special exemption and will therefore be able to start directly from the main draw – will face Benoit Paire with a view to Félix Auger Aliassime, number six in the standings and obviously the host.
Nicolas Pereira talks about Kyrgios
Former tennis player Nicolas Pereira, who joined Michals on the podcast, meanwhile, said Nick Kyrgios had the ability to simplify the sport and keep things “real.” “He plays it basketball style, you know,” Periera said.
“He’s so loose, then he goes in between the legs, hits a second service as hard as he can, but, you know, he’s keeping it real, he’s giving it simple. I was looking for something here that was sent to me this morning, he has a winning record against the top players.
All of them,” he conitnued. “So that gets you thinking if this guy gets motivated and you know, he’s going to get better seedings as he climbs the ranking. Unfortunately, he didn’t get the points for Wimbledon but he would be 14, 15 in the world right now.”
