Nick Kyrgios & Nadal

NICK KYRGIOSPeter Adamis  2 July 2014.  Australians will wake up to a new hero on the block after finding that one of their own has defeated Nadal at Wimbledon. It’s a great effort by a young bloke who now has the world watching his progress with awe.    A copy of the article may be downloaded by clicking on: AUSSIE NICK KYRGIOS KNOCKS OUT NADAL 

Even his mum did not expect him to win and advised him that she felt Nadal always bounced back.  His father George and young sister were watching him from the sidelines as he went onto to do a victory dance of sort and one wonders whether it was Nicks version of Zorba the Greek the ‘zebekeiko’.  A Greek dance that is filled with an emotional ‘kefi’ as the Greeks call it. a sort of displaying ones emotions in their own way.

Whatever the case may be, young Nick is the current darling of Australia and one can be sure that over the next few days his progress will  be monitored by Australian tennis officials and the wider Australian community. It is odd that very little has been mentioned about Nick in the past as it was felt that he had some way to go to get up the ranks, after all he was an outsider the ranking of the top 100.  What will his ranking be now?

Now with the with the Socceroos and the Greek team knocked out of the World cup in Brazil, The people of three nations will be celebrating young Nicks victory, that of Australia his home, Greece that of his father’s origins and Malaysia that of his mother. With three distinct heritages and backgrounds as diverse as young Aussie Nick, you cannot get a better Australian ambassador than that to demonstrate to the world of Australia’s commitment to cultural diversity.

You can bet that the Aussie Greeks in Oakleigh, Brunswick and Preston of Melbourne will be in the coffee shops celebrating in their own manner and style and saying what a great Greek lad this Nick bloke is. Such is the way of life when you have a Hellenic background.

But Australia has its own blend of claiming its own and that is that it honours its heroes no matter their origins as long as they call Australia home, Nick Kyrgios is one of her sons and the victory belongs to him this day.  Well done Nick, let us see some more of your Aussie style on the court of Wimbledon.

Peter Adamis Australia Day iconhe Voice from the Pavement – Peter Adamis is a Journalist/Commentator and writer. He is a retired Australian military serviceman and an Industry organisational & Occupational (OHS) & Training Consultant whose interests are within the parameters of domestic and international political spectrum.  He is an avid blogger and contributes to domestic and international community news media outlets as well as to local and Ethnic News.  He holds a Bachelor   of Adult Learning & Development (Monash), Grad Dip Occupational Health  & Safety, (Monash),  Dip. Training & Assessment, Dip Public Administration, and Dip Frontline Management. Contact via Email: [email protected] or via Mobile: 0409965538

Kyrgios knocks Nadal out of Wimbledon.   

2 JULY 2014

Australian Wimbledon wild-card 19-year-old Nick Kyrgios beats top seed Rafael Nadal in a sensational fourth round upset.  Read more by visiting the following URLS below: 

 July 2, 2014   Peter Fitzsimons   Columnist.   A heart that Phar Lap would be proud of:   Wake up Australia!   Go you good thing! Nick Kyrgios is the real deal.   Australian Wimbledon wild-card 19-year-old Nick Kyrgios beats top seed Rafael Nadal in a sensational fourth round upset.  Many of us did in the wee hours, expecting to find the 19-year-old from Canberra, Nick Kyrgios, either on the edge, or already in the abyss in his round-of-16 Wimbledon match against the finest tennis player since forever, Rafael Nadal. After all, what chance that our bloke, ranked 160 in the world just last week – the youngest player in the Wimbledon draw – could stay on the same court as the Spaniard who is ranked No.1?

The finest tennis player ever: a shocked Rafael Nadal. Photo: AP But wait! Kyrgios is still in! Somehow, as the lights started to go on all over Sydney town, all over the country, and we on Twitter discussed whether or not we had a moral duty to wake up our partners – mine is a kind of shift-worker, and was already on her way – we were stunned to see he was two sets to one up! 

And firing!  Against a clearly shocked Nadal – who has never lost to anyone born in the 1990s, let alone 1995 – our bloke had nailed five aces in the first 11 points of the match and taken it from there, including one extraordinary shot from between his legs that left Nadal standing.    Before our very eyes, Kyrgios continued to dismantle the Spaniard, going on to win in four sets!   

The last time a teenager more anonymous than a wrong number defeated a world No.1 at a Grand Slam was when Nadal himself did it against Roger Federer at Roland Garros in 2005.  And he is the first player ranked outside the top 100 to beat the world No. 1 man at a Grand Slam since No.193 Andrei Olhovskiy defeated the American, Jim Courier in 1992, also at Wimbledon. Not for nothing would Kyrgios do an impromptu dance on the court afterwards, even while saluting his father and sister who were in the stands for the occasion. 

And it is not just us who are impressed. You tell ’em, John McEnroe.  “I think we have found the next guy in the men’s game,” the most respected commentator and former champion in the game said afterwards.   “I couldn’t believe that he could keep that up all match. He had this feeling about him that he absolutely believed that he would win. He is acting to me like he can win the whole tournament. The last guy that I saw like that was Boris Becker, a teenager who just believed that he would beat everything that was put in his way. To lose the second set and still win pretty decisively in four was just magnificent.” 

Our bloke! Nay, now, “Our Nick”! Mentioned in the same breath, in the same realms as McEnroe, Nadal, Federer and Becker!  Most heartening of all?    He appears to be a good bloke, with a sense of humour – before the match he noted that “Nadal and I have won 14 Grand Slams between us, so it’s going to be a good match” – and a heart that Phar Lap would be proud of.     In the post-match interview, he thanked his family for their unwavering support – his father Giorgos is a Greek Australian and his mother Norlaila, a Malaysian-Australia – and then the Australian fans.  

“I love ’em,” he said with feeling. “I love every single one of them. They give me the spark of energy that I need, so I can’t thank them enough. ”  And we can’t thank you enough, Nick. One doesn’t want to gush unseemingly, but this bloke is the goods. And no yellow Ferraris in sight! Though Australian tennis has laboured long, she has at last given birth to the first player since Pat Rafter that we won’t have to learn to love, but can love from the first.   Wake up Australia?   Tomorrow night, when he takes on the 8th seed, Canadian Milos Raonic,   Australia won’t sleep.  Go you good thing!

http://www.smh.com.au/sport/tennis/go-you-good-thing-nick-kyrgios-is-the-real-deal-20140702-zsssw.html

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