Djokovic to face Murray in Madrid final

once again Kei has proven he hasn't got what it takes to beat the big guns WHEN IT COUNTS. people will call me a basher, and although I actually hope he can do it , he's shown again he doesn't have the physical or mental game to overcome them yet at the business end of tournaments

Ridiculous comment considering Djokovic is beating everyone at the moment.

Don't suppose you actually watched any of the matches.

wtfjapan: You're right, and I think even some of the bandwagon fans in Japan even realise that these days. Maybe it was just because it was Golden Week, but none of the usual bandwagon fans I know said a peep about Nishikori this time until a couple spoke about this match; and even then it quieter than usual tones. I know at least one person who shut the game off after the first set and went back to bed at 4:00 a.m.

Nishikori just does not have the skill yet. The result is no surprise. I thought Nadal would have Murray this time around, though.

@smith , unfortunately, many think of Kei as the new tennis messiah and just cant come to the fact that he lacks the skill and mental toughness to win the major tournaments, especially when facing the big 4, Federer and Nadal will soon retire and Kei chances will increase . Kei is a good player but when have you seen him come from behind dig deep and produce some spectacular tennis. Federer, Djokovic, Nadal, and Murray have all done this repeatedly only the great players can up the game when their backs are against the wall, the rest fold.

wtfjapan: Agree completely. I like Nishikori, but as you and I have stated in the past, it's the entitlement crowd, largely propagated by the media here, that have ruined things for him (and the rugby coach was right about how Nishikori was up and coming but then sold out to commercials and is now falling behind), as they did with Ishikawa the golfer (who?) and countless other golden boys. Kei has thousands of fans when he's doing well, and then many have dropped off the map again once he loses (until he starts doing well again).

The worst is when they say things like, "The other guy is too tall" (despite having been beaten by Nishikori once before), or "Nishikori was tired from playing two games in a row" (despite the opponent having done the same), etc., then just calling you a 'basher' or 'hater' because they can't defend the unjustified sense of entitlement. But you see that everywhere in Japan -- just look at how they refused to broadcast the finals in the last Baseball event after Japan, whom they already announced the lineup for the 'gold medal game' against the US, lost to South Korea. They even had a separate awards ceremony for the Japan team!! It's the same with Nishikori; he's already the messiah you mentioned and in past events had basically already won in the minds of many, with some even betting their tennis pride, and declaring him having won all these Masters already, but it's only hurt the kid.

I give credit to the fans who support him through thick and thin and don't get all defensive when he loses and/or to the criticism, but they are far outweighed by the knee-jerk bandwagon crowd and the ridiculous media.

And yes, unfortunately, Kei will only have a really good chance once the other guys retire, like when he won the Memphis open a while back because none of the big guns played.

Yada yada, enough bashing. Smith: Kei has won the Memphis Open four years in a row, so according to your theory the nursing homes are overflowing with newly retired tennis pros.

fxgai:

Ridiculous comment considering Djokovic is beating everyone at the moment.

I bet Jiri Vesely would disagree with your statement.

TorafusuTorasan:

Kei has won the Memphis Open four years in a row

Total points gained from four Memphis Opens is nowhere even near points won by reaching and losing one single Grand Slam final. Being an ATP World Tour 250 tournament, Memphis doesn't exactlly attract the cream of the crop. In fact, in the last tournament, the second seed was ranked 30th in the world. Nishikori's a good player, but your example isn't doing him any favours. This is exactly how Caroline Wozniacki became number one in the world - she won a tonne of minor tournaments but didn't even make it do one single Grand Slam final while she was ranked number one in the world.

Blah blah blah, the haters bring out all the usual nonsense, after world number one Djokovic beats Kei in the SF of an ATP 1000 event, and none if them admit to even watching the matches.

It's so tiring to have to read all this nonsense every time he loses a match but the hate never flows after he wins matches, and in just getting to the SF he is already shooting above his current ranking.

Take your complaints about the Japanese media elsewhere, moaners!

As someone who does actual watch the matches, I am looking forward to Kei's next outing, for he is generally a pleasure to watch!

@Pukey, if the roughly 30 men who have won the Memphis Open over its 41 year history are not the cream of the crop, I'd like to know how you rate Jimmy Connors, John McEnroe, Pete Sampras, Ivan Lendl, Andre Agassi, Andy Roddick, and all the other champs. Sounds to me like a list of all time greats, but I'm only a casual tennis viewer so I'll give you the benefit of the doubt.

Miami Open is rumored to be insolvent and might close down. Is Memphis at risk of the same thing considering they ended the women two years ago?

if the roughly 30 men who have won the Memphis Open over its 41 year history are not the cream of the crop, I'd like to know how you rate Jimmy Connors, John McEnroe, Pete Sampras, Ivan Lendl, Andre Agassi, Andy Roddick, and all the other champs.

Nice try, Torafusu. These guys you named retired a LONG time ago, Roddick more recently. Let's talk more recently. 2015 -second seed was ranked a whopping 15. 2014 -26. 2013 was the only year when Nishikori was ranked low, so he did well considering. But the top seed was ranked 12. So there has NEVER been a top-10 player at Memphis when Nishikori was playing, apart from himself. If you have evidence to the contrary, then please say so. Yeah, yada!

wtfjapan, you say Kei lacks the "mental toughness" to win. Yet his winning percentage in deciding sets is 78%, best among all players : http://www.atpworldtour.com/en/performance-zone/win-loss-index/career/finalset/all/ I personally don't think he'll ever be as good as the top 3, but he's definitely a top 10 player and has the potential to win a grand slam.

Let's hear from Djokovic himself about the match, he might know a bit more about it than folks who don't even watch the matches: http://www.atpworldtour.com/en/news/madrid--2016-saturday-djokovic-nishikori

"I think Kei has started exceptionally well so he obviously knows what his game plan is and what he wanted to do, and he started executing very efficiently from the very first point," said Djokovic. "So I knew it was going to be a tough match. Obviously he was feeling the ball very well, trying to be aggressive on every shorter ball, hitting through, and trying to finish off the points.

"I'm just proud to overcome this kind of challenge. Kei did play well. No doubt about that. It was a close match."

"When you're playing a top player, a quality player, that will use every opening and every opportunity that he's got to come back to the match, which happened today," said Djokovic

Pukey2,

So you don't want to accept his wins at ATP 250 Memphis, but what's your excuse for his wins at ATP 500 events Washington, Barcelona and Tokyo? Top seed "Andy Murray" didn't win there last year - Nishikori did. And your excuse for that is going to be what?

kickboard,

A nice statistic you produced there, don't expect it will sink in with certain folks though.

Today's top players, Djokovic Federer and Nadal are all going to go down as tennis legends in their own ways, and playing in the same era as those guys Kei is going to struggle to achieve the same feats, but I agree he has the ability to win the biggest events. They are all moving targets too. Murray was saying the other day while Nadal has improved this last year, his own game has improved as well. Nishikori's is as well IMO, even though his best result was in 2014.

torafu:

Miami Open is rumored to be insolvent and might close down. Is Memphis at risk of the same thing considering they ended the women two years ago?

Maybe but what's this got to do with anything?

Me : So there has NEVER been a top-10 player at Memphis when Nishikori was playing, apart from himself. If you have evidence to the contrary, then please say so.

Yep, still waiting for your response.

So you don't want to accept his wins at ATP 250 Memphis, but what's your excuse for his wins at ATP 500 events Washington, Barcelona and Tokyo?

Now you're putting words into my mouth. Nice try, again. I never said I didn't accept it. What me and everyone else who is thinking objectively is trying to say is that Nishikori is not able to beat the top players CONSISTENTLY. Who knows what could happen when they get older, but as of now, that's the reality.

And I hope you're not saying that other players outside the top ranks have not won ATP 500 events before. Going up in small increments, I see. How about we jump up to ATP 1000 tournaments? I'm willing to bet his record there is nowhere near as good as the top players when they were his age now.

And as for what Djokovic said - these are pleasantries and words of diplomacy. You'll hear this all the time after a match. You know, certain people only hear what they want to hear and will only accept good things said.

I'll let you have the last word. I'll even let you in on a secret - I don't disagree with what kickboard said. But there's no convincing people who are living on cloud cuckoo land.

trying to say is that Nishikori is not able to beat the top players CONSISTENTLY.

Of course, he isn't beating Djokovic, Federer, Nadal or Murray consistently, but that's not what your crowd has been saying. Your crowd is saying all sorts of nonsense, such as he (1) "hasn't got what it takes", (2) "doesn't have the physical or mental game to overcome them yet at the business end of tournaments", (3) "doesn't have it when it counts", (4) "does not have the skill", (5) "lacks the skill and mental toughness to win the major tournaments".

None of which reconciles with his having beaten No. 1 Djokovic in a Grand Slam SF, and his maintaining his ATP ranking above guys like Marin Cilic who have won a Grand Slam.

The potential is clearly there, and anyone who is (1) objective and (2) actually watches his matches can recognise it.

I'm willing to bet his record there is nowhere near as good as the top players when they were his age now.

Federer, Nadal, and Djokovic didn't have 3 legends of the sport playing in their prime during the same era they were coming up through the ranks, so I'm not sure what you think that is supposed to prove.

And as for what Djokovic said - these are pleasantries and words of diplomacy.

As expected, a big fat excuse.

As you have given me the last word, I'll just say that no doubt you'll all be out in force telling us all sorts of nonsense after Nishikori's campaign in Paris completes next weekend (win or lose - probably the latter, but y'all would be calling it a fluke should he win anyways)