Australian Open 2022

All those so confident about Nadal should rush to the bookies then to put their money where their mouth is!

Nadal available at 3/1 for the title

Medvedev is 4/5 and hasn't even made the semis yet

(he disposed of FAA 6-4 6-0 earlier this month in Australia but I suspect FAA might hope to do a bit better here in the 1/4 final)

Shapo couldn't follow up yet again - fun to watch when on song with his backhand but at nearly 23 with only a single 250 title to his name and with Alcaraz still 18 it's hard to argue against the ideal that Alcaraz has a far bigger likelihood of a more impressive career

His First Serve Percentage was too low at under 60% and his ratio of winners to errors was about 1 (53 - 51) where for Nadal it was over 1.4 (41 - 28)

To beat Nadal you need to have the capability to be consistent in the rallies (like Medvedev) and also a consistent (and bonus if also damaging) serve is helpful

For reference in that in-the-end tough 4-set match with 2 breakers against Cressy Medvedev had an astounding 6 to 1 winners vs errors (60 - 11)

I do think that it's really time that Nadal concedes that the Head-To-Head record vs his hair is never going to turn back in his favour

Pretty sure that he's tried a few transplant efforts but they just aren't working

Shave it and ditch the headband ffs

Although the headband is a vital part of his OCD 26 move wipe, scratch and pull routine for every point so there is that...

Shapo called out the stuff that Nadal opponents have had to put up with for many years again to the umpire and in the presser (starts off about breaks and then goes on to talk about the delay on EVERY point in the game)

that makes even less sense then really as that is a trait that many players have in common -

it's odd to compare 2 players on just one aspect when pretty much all other aspects are different.

I'm not a Federer fan in the slightest - don't know where you got that

What actually happened yesterday is that Nadal was cruising to the win when the heat and some sickness (nearly at the point of puking on the court and had to take stomach tablets) really got to him and his standard collapsed in sets 3 and 4. He was loping around the court

Shapo upped his game yes which was pretty dire in the first two sets where it looked like the occasion got to him ( and was instead doing stupid things like saying that all umpires were corrupt to the umpires face which is just dumb and is also completely losing focus on the task at hand) and he couldn't perform as a result but it was more about Nadal being basically ill in sets 3 and 4.

But actually Shapo failed mentally in the end as he really should have closed out the match against at that point the sub-par Nadal and having the momentum but couldn't, blowing break points that he had on Nadal's serve. Finally, whatever about smashing a racquet - doing it after you've lost match point is NOT the time to do it.

So definitely not improving mentally

He actually blew an excellent chance to get to the semi-finals but failed precisely by losing it mentally which is the very sort of trait that is going to stop Grand Slam success

‘Destroyed’ Rafael Nadal staves off sickness as Denis Shapovalov explodes after match point

“I was completely destroyed after that very warm day. I didn’t practice for it,” Nadal said.

“I started to feel not very well in my stomach so I just asked if they can do something.

“Everything was alright on my body but I took some tablets to try and improve the stomach problem I had.

For those who didn't know who was going to beat Sinner, now they surely know as that was a cakewalk in the end in a match that Sinner was favourite going in.

Utterly clinical from Tsits, 4 break points converted out of 4 created. That's really very impressive stuff.

Sinner didn't have a single break point chance in the match

Done and dusted in under two hours.

He can chill and rest up for the semi.

All happening in the Medved - FAA match

A break (for FAA) and an immediate break-back at the end of the first set and it's into the tie-break

Medvedev hits 2 double faults in the breaker and can't recover and FAA takes it 7-4

Match on here. Medved a bit off at the moment for sure.

Looks like FAA has taken serious exception to the final-set bagel that Medved put on him a couple of weeks ago

There are one or two particular Aussie punters shouting for FAA vocally in-between every point, particularly on the Medvedev serve and it's really annoying him.

Not sure at all if they are bona fide FAA fans really with the "funny" ways they are coming up with saying "Felix"

Looks like a couple of the "Low IQ" Kyrgios gang are here on a mission to get to Medvedev for his put-downs and it's working.

They are pretty annoying to be fair.

Of all the annoying gobshites around the world, the Aussie gobshites are perhaps the best at being the most annoying!

Medvedev is off his game and FAA has a break up

Medvedev is in big trouble

FAA is playing very well (serving is good and returning) and Medvedev on the other hand since the tie-break has been off

FAA is a very good player but Medvedev thus far always had his measure easily enough

Those arses in the crowd have timed their mocking support / jibes at Medvedev and got to him to go on top of his less than 100% play

Then very quickly with a break at the start of the second set that held he's two sets down.

Long road back.

Medvedev was heavy favourite here as he crushed FAA in a best of three match less than 3 weeks ago.

Apparently Medvedev has only come back once from 2 sets down

Starts raining in the tie-break just as Medved has a mini-break!

defiant come-back from 0-30 down on serve there from the Med to go 2-2 in the fourth

FAA holding serve with ease tho and hasn't faced a BP since the first set.