It had been a fortnight of firsts in Dubai these past two weeks, with Stan Wawrinka and Sara Errani getting their maiden titles at the Aviation Club, young guns like Nick Kyrgios making their tournament debut and an unprecedented seeds massacre providing the highlighted of the women’s event.
Kyrgios’ campaign may have ended with an unfortunate retirement against Wawrinka in the semi-finals because of a back injury but up until that point, he was undoubtedly the most-entertaining figure in the men’s week.
The ‘Kyrgios Show’ was on full display for most of the four matches he played in Dubai despite the fact he was struggling with food poisoning, a lingering hip problem from the week and a troublesome back injury.
His on-court antics usually produce the most headlines, but the pace that Kyrgios can generate, be it on his serve or his groundstrokes, really is the most remarkable thing about him and is something every tennis fan should witness live.
He has a high-risk game, going for winners on almost every single shot. When he’s on, at that very moment, he seems unbeatable.
In his Dubai opener on centre court against Martin Klizan, Kyrgios was tired, having just arrived 24 hours earlier from Marseille, where he won the title. He wouldn’t sit down during the changeovers, was angry at himself and lacked firepower. But still he fought hard to beat the recently-crowned Rotterdam champion.
Kyrgios played his second round on Court 1, which allowed non-ticket holders to watch him beat Mikhail Kukushkin for free. The atmosphere was great as fans got to see Kyrgios hit tweeners, unleash leaping forehands and take a nap or two during the changeovers. He upped the ante even more in his straight-sets dismissal of Tomas Berdych in the quarters, before retiring in the semis.
An inappropriate hand gesture towards his box may have been made in frustration in his last match but in Kyrgios standards, it was a relatively uneventful week in the behavioural department and a very strong one from a tennis standpoint.
The 20-year-old Aussie has played a major part in the ‘youth movement’ – as the ATP website described it – that came to the fore throughout the month of February with Kyrgios winning his first tour title in Marseille and Dominic Thiem nabbing a pair of trophies in Buenos Aires and Acapulco.
In Marseille, Kyrgios beat Richard Gasquet and Berdych to become the first player under the age of 21 to beat two top-tenners in consecutive matches since Juan Martin del Potro beat Rafael Nadal and Roger Federer at the 2009 US Open.
When Kyrgios beat Berdych again in Dubai a few days later, it was his third top-10 victory within a seven-day period.
Focusing on smaller tournaments had not been Kyrgios’ strong suit in the past – bearing in mind this is only his second full season on Tour – so seeing him deal with the quick and tricky turnaround from winning indoors in Marseille to reaching the semis outdoors in Dubai was impressive.
He’s been reacting to his victories with nonchalance, which perhaps is why he has been able to back them up.
But the one worrying sign is his body.
Kyrgios has a power game which requires a strong core and his body has failed him quite a few times in the past year and a half. It is something he definitely has to work on if he wants to survive the gruelling life of the ATP.
For a youngster still looking to make his top-20 debut (he’s now at 27, his career-high is 25), it’s surprising Kyrgios says he wants to be home as often as he can and he’s keen on playing less tournaments. The tennis schedule is an absolute grind but the tour is the tour and whether you’re trying to breakthrough or maintaining your place at the top, travelling for the better part of 11 months comes with the job.
Over in Acapulco, Thiem’s triumph over Bernard Tomic was just the third ATP final contested between two players born in the 1990s. Fun fact: Thiem featured in all three of those finals.
The Austrian 22-year-old joins Novak Djokovic, Wawrinka, Roberto Bautista Agut and Pablo Cuevas as the only winners of multiple titles in 2016. Thiem is also leading the ATP with most match wins this season – a fantastic 18, against four losses.
He’s up to No14 in the world and already owns five singles trophies. The top-10 is just around the corner.
FEBRUARY HIGHLIGHTS
PLAYERS OF THE MONTH
Carla Suarez Navarro – The Spaniard has risen to a career-high No6 in the world after winning her biggest title to date in Doha.
Pablo Cuevas – The world No25 won two titles in two weeks in Rio (beat Nadal en-route) and Sao Paulo.
FLOPS OF THE MONTH
Jo-Wilfried Tsonga – Won just one match in Buenos Aires and Rio, where he lost to ATP debutant and world No338 Thiago Monteiro.
Daria Gavrilova – Her visit to the Middle East saw her lose in the Dubai first round and Doha second round.
STAR TEENAGERS
Jelena Ostapenko – Became the third teenager to enter the top-50 thanks to her final showing in Doha, where she beat Petra Kvitova along the way.
Alexander Zverev – Semis in Montpellier beating No13 Marin Cilic and quarters in Rotterdam beating No15 Gilles Simon. Fell in a close second round to Tomas Berdych in Marseille.
MATCH OF THE MATCH
Agnieszka Radwanska bt Roberta Vinci 3-6, 6-2, 6-3, Doha quarter-finals – Radwanska produced
a hot-shot special which will undoubtedly feature in a highlight reel at the end of this season.
