betprepare.com

Simon took Ferrer's tennis shoes off

Nishikori lost the first set again, but then proved his quality against the tricky, but technically limited Johnson. Ferrer served for the match in the third set for the first time, and then two more in the fourth. He won, but Simon wore him out and that could be crucial for this match

Getty Images

Ferrer's announcements are never interesting. He always respects everyone, everything's always great, and he'll always do his best. He really did this time, and then made the audience laugh for a few minutes. Something we've never seen before. He gave the first interview after the match wearing only bloody socks, no tennis shoes. Then he had to convince the audience that that was completely normal. Perhaps it was, considering how much he ran to win some points against Simon. When asked about the match about Nishikori, he just stuck his tongue out and wanted to skip the question. He probably didn't want to think about the marathon waiting for him after just finishing one. When he was getting close to the net after the last point, he was holding his hip and was limping. His tongue was out again, but there was relief in his eyes. But, he also looked completely exhausted, and that's something you don't see a lot in his matches.

- Ugh, what a fight. Simon's really an incredible player. He never gives up. I knew I'll have a fight, but didn't see this coming. I had a big advantage in the fourth, he had cramps. I may have loosened up a bit, but he then started playing fantastic. It was really stressful. I missed a lot and it could have ended badly for me. Luckily, I played a great tie-break and now I can't wait for some rest. Don't ask me about Nishikori - Ferrer was sighing after the long fight. 

Ferrer can take a bit of the blame for the marathon. Even though Simon occasionally played great, Ferrer could have ended everything in three sets. He lead 2-0 in sets and 5-3 in the third when he lost four games in a row. Even though that gave a boost to the French, his body couldn't keep up. He had a lot of short balls. Ferrer lead 5-1 and served for the win twice. He didn't get his chance. Simon won five games in a row, lead 6-5 and then disappeared. He played a miserable tie-break and wasted all his previous efforts. 

Getty Images

At least the audience enjoyed. The tennis they saw wasn't pretty, but it was a thriller. In the end, the Australian audience were louder for Simon than some of the winners of that day. A man who stopped Ferrer when he was serving for the match three times, and who literally took the Spaniard out of his shoes.

- The match was great, but I had a bad start and ended up paying for it. I spent a lot of energy for no good reason, which is a key when you play against Ferrer. You need a lot of energy when your results are worse than his. He even told me in the end that I was rock solid, but he was stronger - Simon admitted after the defeat. Nobody can hold it against him, he really played his best.

Nishikori started the match weakly, as usual. He tried to force Johnson's backhand, but he himself made too many errors. Neither his return nor his forehand were working. Perhaps he relaxed too much when he lead 3-1, thinking that's it for the first set. The American came back quickly and then did better in the tie-break where the Japanese had a set-ball.

Losing the set was perhaps good for Nishikori. He started playing more aggressively. He took control, dictated the rallies and mixed hits up. He had fantastic drop shots, and tamed his opponent's serve. Johnson won only six games in the other three sets. Nishikori had 50 winners and half the unforced errors than Johnson in the end. He confirmed the authority that comes with the Top 5 status.

- I was too passive at the beginning, and he used it. He's got a really dangerous forehand when he's set, and I was a bit rigid. I changed my approach in the second set, and my return was working better. I think I played really well after the first. I was more relaxed, and better automatically - Nishikori compared the first set with the rest of the match, and then talked about the pressure that comes with his ranking:

- It's nice to be Top 5. It definitely helps your self-confidence on the court, but there's also pressure. There's definitely more pressure, especially outside the court. I'm still getting used to that. Right now, it's important to play well, and I hope that will bring me to the second week.

Ferrer and Nishikori played some really interesting duels. Two years ago, Ferrer won 3-0. Nishikori learned his lesson. In the last four matches, three of which in the last year, Nishikori won. And in three sets, too. Some of the matches were decided with a few points, and Ferrer is usually strong in situations like those. Now, the things are reversed. Nishikori is Top 5, and he's got a status of the favorite here. A real one, and it's the first time in the duels against Ferrer. It definitely creates pressure. On the other hand, the question is how much strength Ferrer will have after Simon. We know that fatigue is never the key factor in Ferrer's matches, he's one of the biggest fighters at the Tour, but he's not getting younger. And Nishikori's best years are still to come.