#someone help me. they may be my weakness atp

[torentialtribute]

No respect for big names. Underarm serves. Nick Kyrgios is the man who’s shaking up tennis

Nick Kyrgios is sitting in the bowels of the Miami Dolphins stage and beaming after the reaction to his latest victory – from the courtside security

"Afterwards I had about five of the guards who don't care much about the game tell me how much fun that was to watch," he says. "That's super important because this is the entertainment business."

The 23-year-old Australian had just gone through to the third round of the Miami Open with a win over qualifier Alexander Bublik that had an element of the Harlem Globetrotters about it. The bumper attendance on the secondary arena at Hard Rock Stadium was bigger than that watching Serena Williams competently make the debut on the giant main court.

He has an outstanding career record against Roger Federer, Rafael Nadal and Novak Djokovic

There was his usual mix of scorching winners, gossamer-touch drop shots, careless mistakes, drives from between the legs and that strange reluctance to chase down every single ball. He has a curious ability to excite a crowd while displaying a certain indifference.

This is perhaps why he can lose to anyone – sometimes in dismal fashion – while enjoying an outstanding aggregate 6-6 record against the sainted trio or Roger Federer, Rafael Nadal and Novak Djokovic. He is 2-0 against the latter.

Kyrgios talks like he plays tennis: fast, unpredictable and not afraid to display a wide repertoire of shots. This is particularly the case when assessing how he managed to compile his enviable stats against the big three.

Kyrgios talks like he plays tennis: fast, unpredictable and displaying a wide repertoire of shots

HIGHS AND LOWS

THE GOOD

June 2014 Nick Kyrgios announces himself to the tennis world by knocking world No. 1 Rafa Nadal out of Wimbledon. May 2015 – Comes from a set down to beat Roger Federer 14-12 in a final set tiebreak in Madrid. February-March 2017 Beats Novak Djokovic twice in straight sets in Acapulco and Indian Wells. February 2019 – Back in Acapulco hits an underarm serve on the way to another win over Nadal, then beats Alex Zverev in the final.

THE BAD

Aug 2015 Hurled a barrage of salacious insults at Stan Wawrinka. Given a suspended six-month sentence. Oct 2016 Verbally abused a spectator during a 48-minute defeat by Mischa Zverev in Shanghai. He said: "I don't owe the fans anything." If they don't like it, just leave. "Jun 2018 Fined £ 13,000 for obscene gestures with a water bottle at Queens.

"I just go out there and do my thing and nothing changes or I'm playing Alexander Bublik or Federer or Rafa," he says. I serve big, I back myself, at the end of the day they are only human.

'They don't do anything spectacularly well. Obviously Federer is unbelievably talented and the greatest of all time, but he gets tired in tight situations. Djokovic struggles with short balls, he doesn't like to come forward. Second serve can get a bit shaky.

'Rafa loves to be defensive so you can really push through his forehand and expose how far back he stands. So they do have weaknesses and if you play the right way and execute it right under pressure then they can be beaten.

'You just have to play the right way and for the stars to align. Of course they are a level above all of us, but they are definitely beatable, I don't think they are God's to the sport. "

Late last month Kyrgios went out and beat Nadal amid a febrile atmosphere at the ATP Tour event in Acapulco. On the way he served underarm, infuriating the great Spaniard, who afterwards declared that his opponent lacked respect for both his opponents and himself.

Kyrgios plays around behind the clock during his match against Alexander Bublik in Miami

Unlike many of the present day younger ATP players, you will not find Kyrgios coming off court to describe it as an 'honor' to share the court with them.

'I don't know how much respect the others show them but I'm not going to really respect someone just because they can hit a ball over the net, that's not enough for me to give them respect, "said Kyrgios, who plays today Serbia's Dusan Lajovic.

'Why would I give them an inch? They've already got the advantage with always playing on the best courts in the best conditions, all that sort of stuff, so I don't know why you would give them inches. "

" Obviously what they ( the trio) do for the sport is huge, they inspire millions around the globe. But when I'm on the court we're competing and I'm not trying to be your friend.

'I'm not sure why I would go out there and be very respectful of Rafa to get ready for me to serve. "

Kyrgios throws his racquet during his match against Philipp Kohlschreiber at Indian Wells

It is perhaps counting that Kyrgios's peak this year came when winning the ATP title in the Mexican playground, where there were obviously plenty of distractions away from the gravel of the tennis.

'Acapulco was insane on and off the court, I definitely lost a couple of years off my life that week. I was going jet skiing every day, I had my best friend there, it was like a holiday week, that's when I tend to play well. One of the best atmospheres ever.

'I hit it (the underarm serve) and people say' he's being disrespectful ', but when other people do it they'd say' very technically switched on '. When I did it, it's like the roof is falling in. I'm never going to hit one again because I've got scorched for it … I'm kidding – I'm hitting it again for sure, I was thinking about it all day today.

'At times I think tennis is way too serious. I don't think about goalsetting. There is so much going on in the world that we are so sheltered from, I'm not trying to put my attention into tennis too much, I come in and play my match somewhere like this and I'm out of here. "

Kyrgios has long established a bond with Andy Murray, who believes he is one of the people who 'gets' him. The two have stayed in touch while Murray continues his convalescence.

Kyrgios went out and beat Rafael Nadal on way to winning the Acapulco Open in Mexico

'I had a hit the other day with Amanda Anisimova (the exciting American prospect) at 9am the other day, I never hit that early. Andy in Brisbane this year asked me if I wanted to hit at 9am and I said that's way too early. He messaged me the other day when he saw that I'd hit with her, adding a sad face.

'So I have been in contact with him a little bit, he's obviously a great guy and I wish him all the best. If he can come back and play I don't care if he wins a match, I just want to see him back on the tour and competing. The results aren't something to be concerned about it would be just to see him happy. If you're able to play again that's a success. I think he is someone I will keep in touch with when I have finished playing for sure. "

In his darker moments Kyrgios does not always help himself, putting in halfhearted efforts or descending to puerile antics like making suggestive gestures with water bottles, as he did last summer at Queen's.

But the ongoing debate among some earnest types about whether he is 'good for the game' is tennis's most inane debate – or course he is, for all the undulating behavior.

The Harlem Globetrotters analogy is a fitting one, because he makes no secret that what he would much rather be doing is shooting hoops.

Last week he could be found dispensing wisdom to a group of eleven year-old schoolchidren as part of a Unicef ​​charity appearance prior to the tournament.

After advising them that it was important to always listen to their parents, he also added a note of regret.

'When I was 14 , my parents told me I could play basketball for longer and still it breaks my heart. It was one of the toughest challenges to give that up. I love basketball. "

Source link

[bluemoonball]

"French Open“ 2018: Apparently Not Over

Sorry to Novak. Really! Cecch played a great match, at least, for some of it, which slightly helps ease the sting (or, in some cases, makes it worse, like ... USO 2011 comes to mind). And those few Novak fans who I haven’t driven away already, who are feeling understandably upset, I truly hope my words don’t make it worse, so feel free to ignore the rest of this post, which will mostly be me patting myself on the back about my past words.

So, Marco played a great two sets or so, I hear. And then melted down appropriately. We’ve seen it many times and one can’t imagine that Novak in good shape should have lost after going up 6-1 4-1. In 2015 it would’ve been a routine “Djokovic played around for a while and the guy got cold again and this is why we have best of five!!!!” match.

But then, things do change from 2015. For example, this prediction written after Wimbledon 2015.

Fed’s retooled game looks solid. More than solid – one once again sees no reason (barring injury) that he can’t give himself chances at least until he reaches, say, Karlovic’s and Stepanek’s ages, at least until he’s truly the oldest warrior on tour. The Big Head racquet is there; the aggression and net game are there.

Djokovic is already 28. “28, or 7 years after the first Slam” is the historical rule for when decline begins. Novak’s first slam was in 2008. This year is Novak’s pinnacle. At this rate, Djokovic may decline faster than Federer. It’s happened to Rafa.

Oh, I know it sounds stupid right now. Djokovic has shown no signs of weakness in his play. His serve is better than ever, his groundies are as solid as ever, his movement has shown no decline, his net game’s liability has been minimized. But you know, pride goeth before a fall. It’s undeniable that one day, Djokovic will decline; and it’s undeniable that there is a top; and if you ask me, Djokovic is not going to get better from here on out. He’s got 800 matches on him. That number isn’t going down, either. He could escape it by changing his style. But it’s hard to imagine how he will retool his play to develop old man game, as they call it in basketball.

So congratulations to Novak, and enjoy it while it lasts.

Doubt me again at your peril, mortals.

One commenter replied at the time:

Blue's post reeks of desperation - understandable... The best sentence in it was: "Oh, I know it sounds stupid right now." [...some kind words about Roger omitted...] And my dear (and blue) Blue - Novak is here to stay, for at least next 3-4 years. And Roger is not capable and will never again beat him in a match that matters; faster you accept that fact, easier will be to truly enjoy Roger's final matches and respect the player who is the best on the planet

Another commenter, speaking at the retrospective peak (for now) of the FO 2016, said:

Djokovic at 29, is a better player than even Federer at that age, and I think he has many more years left at the top. The calendar grand slam is next. Who can stop him?

If you guessed “Sam Querrey, Istomin, Berdych, Chung, Cecchinato, and their ilk,” well, you deserve your winnings from the bookie. But as I said in the comments to the post-2015 Wimby thread:

IMO only of course, the key factor in overall decline isn't having multi-slam champion talent up against you in the SF and F: it's losing the consistency to stay good against solid players who may surprise you in the first 5 rounds. And the level of those on average never really changes much. Fed's decline involved a lot of losing to Djokovic, but an equal amount of losing first to Berdych and Tsonga, and so on downward until the nadir... Robredo.

Of course there’s one thing in my little brag post that didn’t go quite right. The part about “It’s happened to Rafa.” The little clay gremlin is better than ever (on clay) and facing less competition than ever (at the USO). What gives? Can I speak ex cathedra on this topic as well?

Well, the “Novak will continue to dominate because of the weak era” argument, it turns out, was kind of right as well. Someone, or rather some two, is outstaying their welcome because of the weak era. (With the exception that Genetica says Rafa seems to be playing well even by his standards on clay, this year anyway... I’m taking G’s word for it, I haven’t watched.) It just wasn’t Novak. 

But, I am hereby revising my prediction, due to the unprecedented length and severity of this ATP drought. The newcomers are coming, I still believe that -- but there may be a year or more still up ahead where an old star simply playing the old standards might be enough to get some big wins. And, if Novak gets into shape, it could be him too.

The curse is revoked! Come back, Novak! Come back!

Rafael Nadal Invitational Wednesday Order of Play

Chatrier at 5 AM - Muguruza vs Sharapova followed by The Host vs Schwartzman Lenglen at 5 AM - Halep vs Kerber followed by Cilic vs Del Potro

[brainspineandsport-blog]

Overtraining, Fatigue, And How It Affects Your Body AND Brain.

Have you either personally felt, or know someone who always feels sore after working out for two, three, even four days after the workout? I'm not talking about the first time you've worked out in a year sore, but repetitive soreness when in a constant exercise plan. If you and your friend have the same height, weight, body composition, and do the same workout, shouldn't you both have the same level of fatigue and soreness? The good thing is, this is most likely a metabolic issue, rather you, or your friend, being "weak."

I am preparing and will be releasing some new neurology content soon, but since we're in the new year and gym trend time, I'd like to share some research I've come across with regards to exercise, especially because this subject hits home for me.

Thanks to Dr. Ben House who pushed me in the direction to find some cool research, I found an awesome paper that may correlate what normally thought of as Overtraining Syndrome (OTS), to constant fatigue and soreness for athletes and exercisers. I am correlating muscle soreness and fatigue to OTS, because to a point, what is technically "overtraining" for two identical twins with the same body composition, may be a completely different level of activity for each person because of their metabolic state. This post will explain possible metabolic and neurological pathways to explain this phenomenon.

Without painfully reviewing our deep and detailed organic chemistry pathways, I'll keep it simple. Here are the 4 theories I enjoyed reading and my summary of how they can contribute to fatigue and muscle soreness:

Problem 1: Low muscle glycogen: Glycogen is our energy store of glucose in the body. Our bodies AND brains run off ONE from of energy, ATP. Glucose is broken down to ATP through glycolysis to fuel our neurons. When we run out of dietary glucose from carbs, our body breaks down glycogen from our muscles and fat. The main point here is, when you go to the energy reserve of our muscle glycogen and you don't have sufficient amounts, you're already behind from an energy standpoint.

Possible Solution 1: Make sure you're eating carbs, especially if you are doing high intense, heavy weighted, anaerobic exercises. A strict Paleo diet is good for some people, but not for all. Please don't go eat a loaf of bread because CARBS! Healthier options than processed gluten like rice, quinoa, potatoes etc are preferred.

Problem 2: Central Fatigue: Research shows that exercise creates oxidation in the body, meaning that proteins get broken down into very small amino acids, which then allows tryptophan compete to enter cells instead of the amino acids, and convert to serotonin. Increased serotonin, or increase sensitivity to serotonin, has shown to contribute to mood changes, fatigue, and a result of overtraining.

Possible Solution 2: Know your body, don't push yourself past a fatigue level you feel you shouldn't. Supplement with foods or supplements high in antioxidants, and try to avoid foods high in tryptophan. This theory seems to play a lesser role when an athlete becomes well trained, so I'm not convinced this relates to the topic I'm discussing.

Problem 3: Decreased Glutamine: Glutamine plays an integral role in the body's immune system and protein formation, aka muscle gains. Athletes with low glutamine levels have shown to have decreased immune system function. This is important because as we break down muscle tissue and rebuild for new growth, our immune system needs to clear out the waste before rebuilding. Glutamine is involved in both, so it makes sense that the recovery process is negatively affected when low levels of glutamine are present.

Possible Solution 3: Supplementing with glutamine is a great option, but from a functional medicine perspective, looking into whether a person has any underlying infections or autoimmunity is crucial, as the immune system is not only regulated by glutamine.

Problem 4: Oxidative Stress: As stated above, when we exercise hard, more "garbage" is created by our cells that needs to be cleared out. Oxygen is needed for our neurons to survive, but when oxidative stress occurs, it actually produces different structures of oxygen that are harmful to our body when not recycled properly. Whether a result or a cause of fatigue and muscle soreness, targeting oxidative stress is also crucial.

Possible Solution 4: Again, antioxidants are recommended. For the athlete or constant exerciser, diet usually isn't enough. There are supplements that can help aid this process of recycling free radicals.

Conclusion: All these theories may combine and contribute to athletes with repetitive symptoms of increased muscle fatigue and soreness. The body and brain are incredibly interconnected, that dealing with the nervous and metabolic systems together is crucial when dealing with this and other bodily/brain issues.

Before loading up on supplements and eating pills all day, it is important to also rule out any blood sugar, anemia, thyroid, adrenal, and/or any other inflammatory issues going on with a patient. On top of that, a balance between sympathetic and parasympathetic tone in the nervous system is needed, as that was another issue mentioned in the article. This can all be done through a thorough history, exam, and possible blood work.

Feel free to contact me for any questions, and I'd love some discussion on this topic.

Source: Kreher JSchwartz J. Overtraining Syndrome. Sports Health. 2012;4(2):128-138.