AUSSIE HORROR SHOW: SUDDENLY ALL OUR WIMBLEDON HOPES ARE GONE
It was looking so good for the Aussies ... until checkout time
ALEX de Minaur can’t wait for his next taste of grand slam prime time after duelling with world No. 1 Rafael Nadal on Wimbledon’s centre court, while Nick Kyrgios slumped to a crushing Wimbledon defeat to Kei Nishikori with a bewildering third-round display.
On a miserable day for Australia with all five singles players departing, de Minaur was watched by a galaxy of sports stars including Rod Laver, Billie Jean King and Sir Bobby Charlton — and he was smitten by the experience.
“That’s where I want to be, playing on big courts against big players,” de Minaur said after a 6-1, 6-2, 6-4 loss to 17time major champion Nadal.
“I’ve got to work harder, get better, and hopefully next time I get the same opportunity I can push him harder.
“It was definitely something special. Being able to play on Centre Court against Rafa, that’s something that I will remember forever.”
At 19, de Minaur is one of only three teens in the top 100. Alexander Zverev and Stefanos Tsitsipas are the others. De Minaur will rise to about No.70 after this tournament, a gain of almost 40 rungs in a month.
“I think I started the month maybe 110,” he said. “Finishing the grass court season top 70, it’s incredible for me.
“It’s the [grass] season that I always enjoy. I loved every second of it.”
Nadal hailed de Minaur’s energy and drive and predicted a bright future on grass, especially.
“He’s very energetic player, very quick,” Nadal said. “He likes to play on this surface. His style of game probably works well for this surface.”
Kyrgios, who was warned for unsportsmanlike behaviour by umpire Mohamed Lahyani after blasting a ball high into the stands, was drilled 6-1, 7-6 (7-3), 6-4 by merciless Nishikori. Fifteenth-seed Kyrgios was unable to lay a glove on Nishikori’s serve.
“I think that was the best game of my life, probably,” Nishikori said.
For Kyrgios, it was a vastly different story, with the Canberran admitting he “panicked”.
“I felt great [beforehand]. As soon as I got out there, I just didn’t feel good,” he said.
“I was pretty uptight. A lot of nerves. I just struggled with a lot of things.
“Obviously getting broken first game didn’t help me. I just kind of panicked. Everything kind of just went south. I mean, he played well. I always find it tough playing him.”
Unfortunately for Australia’s women’s hopes, both Ash Barty and Daria Gavrilova had their hopes dashed.
Gavrilova said she “played scared” after a harrowing third-round defeat.
The 26th seed was railroaded into a 6-3, 6-1 upset by Belarusian Aliaksandra Sasnovich, confessing she malfunctioned mentally.
Barty blew a golden grandslam opportunity, tumbling out with a surprisingly untidy loss to Daria Kasatkina.
The Queenslander folded to a 7-5, 6-3 defeat.