Entertaining attrition battle in Wimbledon quarter-finals

He’s the bad boy of the tennis scene. The enfant terrible in top tennis and at the same time the man with the greatest entertainment factor among the world class players. We are talking, of course, about Nick Kyrgios, who has made it to the quarter-finals of a Grand Slam for the first time in seven years. However, this is not the end of the line for the Australian, especially as the odds before the match between Cristian Garin and Nick Kyrgios point to the 27-year-old being the favourite.

This assessment by the bookmakers is probably primarily due to the fact that the current world number 40 is probably playing his best tennis on grass at the moment. The bad boy has won eleven of his 14 matches on grass this season. Now he has the chance to reach the Wimbledon semi-finals for the first time, although Kyrgios had to deal with massive right shoulder problems in his round of 16 match and is therefore likely to start the upcoming match with an ailment.

Meanwhile, there is little talk about his opponent, even though the Chilean is also playing the best Grand Slam tournament of his career. The 26-year-old reached the last eight for the first time. At the latest after the tour de force over five sets against Alex de Minaur, it should be clear that the world number 43 is an extremely uncomfortable opponent who returns many balls and physically makes a very fit impression. Given these characteristics, a prediction of a competitive match between Garin and Kyrgios seems quite obvious.

Cristian Garin – Statistics & current form

For many years, Cristian Garin’s performance on tour stagnated. The Chilean primarily played tournaments on clay, but hardly made an appearance on the big tour stage. That changed in 2019 at the latest, when he won the well-stocked clay court tournament in Munich and reached two more finals in Houston and Sao Paulo respectively. The 26-year-old has been able to maintain this good level over the years and has also made a lasting impression at Masters or Grand Slams for the first time.

Last season, Garin reached the last 16 of both the French Open and Wimbledon. In Paris, he lost to Daniil Medvedev, and in London he lost to the eventual title holder Novak Djokovic in the round of the last 16. Now the world number 43, who was also ranked 17th at the beginning of the year, has made it to a GS quarter-final for the first time and deservedly so.

Garin’s tactical finesse as X-factor against Kyrgios

If the preparation for the world’s most prestigious tennis tournament did not go according to plan at all with two opening defeats in Halle and Eastbourne, the Chilean was able to get rid of talented players like Elias Ymer, Hugo Grenier, Jenson Brooksby and Alex de Minaur at Church Road. The South American has dropped three sets so far in the tournament, two of them against his Australian opponent de Minaur in the last 16. In total, the two duelled for well over four hours before Garin gained the upper hand in the match tie break of the fifth set.

The 1.85 metre tall right-hander’s style of play is very energy-sapping. Garin does not have a serve that guarantees him ten to 15 aces per match and his baseline shots are not necessarily the hardest either. On the other hand, the clay court specialist distributes the balls very cleverly, hardly makes any avoidable errors and can pose problems for an opponent with his tactical variability. In addition, the five-time tournament winner on the tour is mentally strong and physically fit. This combination could well lead to the betting on the supposed underdog between Garin and Kyrgios appearing more interesting than many might expect in the run-up to the tournament.

Nick Kyrgios – Statistics & current form

He spits, he insults, he messes with his opponents and yet he has always been the second player to shake hands with the umpire so far this tournament week, which means nothing other than Nick Kyrgios has managed to win all four of his Wimbledon matches in 2022. Nevertheless, it is above all the rowdy antics that ensure that the 27-year-old is the talk of the town at the moment.

His performance in round three against Stefanos Tsitsipas, when he loudly demanded that the referee disqualify his Greek opponent, will probably remain unforgotten. Compared to Kyrgios, who previously denounced the performance of the linesmen and even insulted the officials, last year’s French Open finalist merely hit a ball into the audience. Nevertheless, Stef was given a bigger penalty, while the Australian was once again held accountable to a lesser extent. The bad boy of the tennis scene can get away with a lot and at least ensures that the matches with his participation are always well attended.

Anegged Nick Kyrgios aims for his first GS semi-final

Despite the role he has loved and filled to the fullest as a polarising tennis pro, it has to be said that there are few players on tour with more talent. With a little more focus in his training, a different attitude towards his sport and more seriousness in his matches, Kyrgios would definitely not be ranked 40th in the world, but probably in the top ten.

This steep thesis could be verified in the last few days, among other things, because after victories over Paul Jubb, Filip Krajinovic, Stefanos Tsitsipas and most recently Brandon Nakashima, the Australian is in the quarter-finals of a Grand Slam for the third time in his career. Seven and eight years respectively after the first quarter-finals, Kyrgios now wants to reach the final round for the first time.

From a purely qualitative point of view, it is quite understandable that lower odds are being offered on the 1.93-metre lad in the duel between Garin and Kyrgios. It should be noted, however, that the avid basketball fan has already had to go through five sets twice, has only recorded one outright win and is also struggling with severe shoulder pain. Against Nakashima, it seemed as if Kyrgios could not swing through his serve properly. If his physiotherapists don’t get to grips with this problem by Wednesday, the task against the uncomfortable Chilean will be complicated.

Cristian Garin – Nick Kyrgios Direct comparison / H2H record

For the first time, the two opponents will face each other in an official match on the tour on Wednesday. The fact that this match will take place on the most important tennis court, the Centre Court at Church Road, which celebrated its 100th birthday a few days ago, adds to the excitement. The fact is that the Australian has more experience when it comes to playing on big courts in front of a large crowd.

Cristian Garin – Nick Kyrgios Tip

In the round of 16, both Cristian Garin and Nick Kyrgios had to go over five sets. Although the Chilean had been on court longer than the Australian, the fitness advantage probably lay with the clay court specialist, who is a year younger.

The tennis bad boy had to struggle with shoulder pain for the entire match against Nakashima, which made it almost impossible for him to play his hardest serve. Moreover, because it didn’t feel like a temporary and easily solvable problem, we’d be wary of touting the extremely low betting odds on the crowd favourite ahead of the Garin vs. Kyrgios match.

Instead, we can well imagine the South American giving the favourite a leg up. Garin returns a lot of balls, is extremely consistent from the baseline and also has a lot of tactical variations in his game that Kyrgios will have to come to terms with. In addition, it should never be forgotten that the moody Australian is a player who likes to give away games or even sets on the fly. Either when he gets in his own way emotionally or when he sees no more chances to win the set.