Coach Michael Chang is making Kei Nishikori more of an all-court player and adding to his game, believes Greg Rusedski. The Japanese star avenged his painful US Open loss to Stan Wawrinka by routing the world No 3 6-2 6-3 in his opening match at the ATP Tour Finals on Monday. Six months half price Upgrade to Sky Sports to watch Man Utd v Arsenal on Saturday and get the first six months half price Nishikori was denied a second Grand Slam final appearance in September when Wawrinka defeated him in the US Open semi-finals and the world No 5 got his own back with a dominant display at Londons O2 Arena. Despite being placed in a tricky Tour Finals group that also includes Andy Murray and former US Open champion Marin Cilic, Nishikori hopes to make the final of the season-ending event for the first time after reaching the last four in 2014. Highlights of the match between Stan Wawrinka and Nishikori at the ATP World Tour Finals And Sky Sports tennis analyst Rusedski says former French Open champion Chang is a great influence on Nishikori.You look at Kei Nishikori at the US Open when he was coming forward and you saw that again today, he said. Special Kei makes perfect start Kei Nishikori makes statement of intent against Stan Wawrinka at the ATP World Tour Finals Hes adding to Keis game and making him more of an all-court player and thats so important if hes going to beat the likes of Stan or Murray or Novak Djokovic.He has to come forward when its right and hes doing it more so. Michael has done a great job and so has (coach) Dante Bottini and so has Kei, so its a great environment. Nishikori joined Sky Sports analyst Leif Shiras at the SkyPad to review his win over Wawrinka Michael is also very good tactically. You always see him on the iPad in the locker room looking at his opponents, looking at the patterns and doing all those other things. Its not only the mental, its also the tactical as well.Check our game-by-game coverage from all group matches at the ATP World Tour Finals in London - including Andy Murray - on skysports.com/tennis, our app for mobile devices and iPad and our Twitter account @skysportstennis.Upgrade to Sky Sports now to watch Man Utd v Arsenal this Saturday and get the first six months half price! Also See: Special Kei makes perfect start Wawrinka: Injury not to blame Now is the time for Milos Now well see the real Novak Nike Shoes Clearance Sale . -- If this was Aaron Gordons final home game at Arizona, and it almost certainly was, then he went out in style. Discount Nike Shoes For Sale .ca looks back at the stories and moments that made the year memorable. http://www.discountshoesnike.com/ . Pierce was ejected in the third quarter of Indianas 103-86 win Monday. George Hill stole a bad pass and was going in for a layup, and Pierce hustled back and appeared to be trying to wrap him up. Discount Nike Shoes Website . Fernandez, coached in Toronto by former two-time Olympic silver medallist Brian Orser, scored 267.11 points and is the first champion to successfully defend since Russias Evgeny Plushenko in 2005 and 2006. Nike Shoes Wholesale China . The 18-year-old American had five birdies in her bogey-free round for a 17-under total of 196. Lee held the overnight lead but mixed three birdies with two bogeys for a 70. Cincinnati Bengals linebacker Vontaze Burfict is the perfect villain. Thats what I hear, and when I turn on the tape, I can understand why. Just look at how he knocked out?Antonio Brown in the AFC wild-card game last season.You cant have that hit. Shoulder pad to the helmet at the worst possible time. The resulting penalty cost the Bengals a playoff win and contributed to Burfict landing a three-game suspension to start this season for repeated violations of player safety rules.No one knows Burficts intent on that particular hit. He plays fast. He plays hard. Guys can cross the line at times. Thats how a lot of defensive players are wired. That doesnt mean they are malicious in how they play the game. Maybe he could have pulled up. Heck, maybe he could have avoided the hit all together, I guess.But as Burfict returns to the field on Thursday night, this also needs to be said: Id love to play with this dude because he can change the flow of the game.?And I can tell you that a lot of other guys would too.This is hard to understand, so let me explain:As a defender, if you can physically intimidate the opponent, that will make every offensive player sit up a little straighter in the film room when youre next on the schedule. And it alters how opposing offenses practice and play -- because they know youre going to hit.Burfict gives that to his team. Hes going to shorten some arms of wide receivers who want to work the middle of the field. Everyone on the?Miami Dolphins offense will be aware of where Burfict is at all times during Thursdays contest in Cincinnati.As a defensive back, you love that. It means some basket picks: balls that flutter into the air and land in your lap; free gifts because of that linebacker patrolling the middle of the field and delivering blows. Boom. And no one on offense wants to gett close to a guy like that.ddddddddddddThats when wide receivers start telling the quarterback to avoid those inside routes.Look back to the Bengals loss on Sunday to the Denver Broncos. Would Gary Kubiaks team have been able to put together that go-ahead, fourth-quarter drive with Trevor Siemian throwing slants, inside hitch routes and wide receiver screens if Burfict was running to the ball and driving through ball carriers? Thats just something to think about here when we talk about the impact a physical player like Burfict can have.What Burfict needs to understand is that the game has changed. And every player has to adapt to the new rules. Look at Luke Kuechlys hit on Demaryius Thomas over the middle in Super Bowl 50. Thats a clean strike -- and I can promise you it stuck in the back of Thomas mind all night.The lesson? Theres no substitute for physicality and intimidation -- but that physicality and intimidation need not draw 15-yard penalties and three-game suspensions.Its a fine line, a tightrope defenders have to walk in this league on a weekly basis. You gotta hit or you wont last very long; and in 2016, you gotta do it cleanly or you wont last very long, either. Because of his history, Burfict will be watched closer than most. But as long as hes out there patrolling the middle of the field, his effect on his teammates and the Bengals defense will be palpable.Remember, defenses that can read, run, hit and intimidate dictate the tempo of the game. You can intimidate through execution, but its still football. It also helps to have that guy who creates a little fear. Burfict is that guy.ESPN.com NFL analyst Matt Bowen played seven seasons as a defensive back in the NFL. ' ' '