Takeaways from the Tie Break Tens in Melbourne

Published Jan 10, 2018

Nadal and Djokovic stole the show.

They had a giddy time together on the sidelines.

Caption this. pic.twitter.com/zigLglEPd2
— The Overrule (@theoverrule) January 10, 2018

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Berdych walked away the champion.

The Czech beat Nadal 10-5, earning $250,000 for a quick day's work.

Congratulations again to @tomasberdych for winning #TBTens Melbourne, beating @RafaelNadal & walking away with a whopping US$250,000. A well deserved win & good luck in the @AustralianOpen https://t.co/iuENNgCHkg pic.twitter.com/4ARZlBuN1q
— Tie Break Tens (@tiebreaktens) January 10, 2018

Takeaways from the Tie Break Tens in Melbourne

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Eight ATP stars—including Rafael Nadal and Novak Djokovic—showed up early to Melbourne to play the Tie Break Tens exhibition on Margaret Court Arena.

Each match consisted of one tiebreak to 10 points, meaning all three rounds could be wrapped up in one night.

Because of the brief structure, it's hard to glean much from the results, but we did learn this much:

Stan Wawrinka withdrew with a shoulder injury.

This is surprising considering it was the Swiss' knee that ended his 2017 season.

Unfortunately #wawrinka has had to pull out due to a shoulder injury. But he'll be replaced by the exciting @milosraonic - we can't wait to see that deadly serve in action #TBTens
— Tie Break Tens (@tiebreaktens) January 10, 2018

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Djokovic had a shortened service motion and a sleeve on his right arm.

He lost to Lleyton Hewitt 10-6 in the first round.

Djokovic with new service reduced motion: 2018 vs. before pic.twitter.com/MtRIAoEfjN
— Break Point (@BreakPointBR) January 10, 2018

Nadal seemed at full health, although the very short "matches" may have helped.

The Spaniard went 2-1 on the day, with wins over Lucas Pouille and Hewitt to make the final.

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What a forehand from @RafaelNadal. #TBTens ⁰#TBTensMelbourne pic.twitter.com/UDsblQzAmG
— Tie Break Tens (@tiebreaktens) January 10, 2018

Nick Kyrgios' booming serve is going strong.

It helped him win the title in Brisbane, but it wasn't enough against Tomas Berdych.

Nice return serve by @tomasberdych.#TieBreakTens #Melbourne2018 pic.twitter.com/3LREMrLiGK
— Tie Break Tens (@tiebreaktens) January 10, 2018

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Nadal's forehand is still firing.

Nadal is the defending finalist next week in Melbourne.

Wow! @RafaelNadal at his very best! #TieBreakTens #Melbourne2018 pic.twitter.com/rgwGoaHGHT
— Tie Break Tens (@tiebreaktens) January 10, 2018

Hewitt proved he's still playing very competitive tennis.

After the Djokovic win, the Australian took Nadal to brink in the semifinals. At the Australian Open, Hewitt will play doubles with Sam Groth.

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Great combination by @lleytonhewitt. #TieBreakTens #Melbourne2018 pic.twitter.com/cTEO3AVlpW
— Tie Break Tens (@tiebreaktens) January 10, 2018

Berdych's forehand could be a lethal weapon next week in Melbourne.

The world No. 20's start to 2018 is turning around after an opening-round loss in Doha.

Wonderful forehand from @tomasberdych. #TieBreakTens #Melbourne2018 pic.twitter.com/jXsvZ5SqCU
— Tie Break Tens (@tiebreaktens) January 10, 2018

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Djokovic did technically get a win—in doubles.

He and Pouille defeated Dominic Thiem and Kyrgios, 10-7. Earlier in the day, he scored a dominant win over Thiem in singles at the nearby Kooyong Classic exhibition.

Good sign? Novak #Djokovic has beaten Dominic Thiem 6-1 6-4 in Kooyong exhibition for his 1st match since 6 months pic.twitter.com/6vfObAIy7Q
— We Are Tennis (@WeAreTennis) January 10, 2018

Nadal and Djokovic stole the show.

They had a giddy time together on the sidelines.

Advertising

Caption this. pic.twitter.com/zigLglEPd2
— The Overrule (@theoverrule) January 10, 2018

Berdych walked away the champion.

The Czech beat Nadal 10-5, earning $250,000 for a quick day's work.

Congratulations again to @tomasberdych for winning #TBTens Melbourne, beating @RafaelNadal & walking away with a whopping US$250,000. A well deserved win & good luck in the @AustralianOpen https://t.co/iuENNgCHkg pic.twitter.com/4ARZlBuN1q
— Tie Break Tens (@tiebreaktens) January 10, 2018

Advertising

Takeaways from the Tie Break Tens in Melbourne

JANUARY: THIS MONTH ON TENNIS CHANNEL PLUS

NEW SEASON, MORE TENNIS! Get Tennis Channel Plus now at BuyTCPlus.com

A LOT of tennis action will be played on Tennis Channel Plus from January through June

Starting with January … gear up for the Australian Open with LIVE tournaments in the lead up to AO, exclusively on Tennis Channel Plus

Fast 4 Sydney
World Tennis Channel – Adelaide
Australian Open Qualifying
Australian Open (Best 20 Matches of AO will be on-demand)

Advertising

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