Kyrgios claims title but remains wary
NICK Kyrgios blazed a path to his first ATP title on Australian soil last night, while warning a tour supervisor in the first set that his knee injury could “keep’’ him out of the Australian Open.
Kyrgios defeated Amercian Ryan Harrison 6-4, 6-2 at Pat Rafter Arena, but he was denied a medical timeout for treatment on his left knee in the first set by tour supervisor Gerry Armstrong.
The Australian No.1 disagreed with Armstrong’s refusal to allow him to have a medical timeout when he called a trainer to change his knee taping at 5-3 in the first set of his seventh ATP Tour final.
“That rule should be changed … it’s getting worse,’’ Kyrgios told Armstrong, evenly but with exasperation.
“This is an injury which could keep me out of the Australian Open. Imagine how I feel.’’
Kygrios taped the knee for all his four matches at the Brisbane International.
His serve dominated the final, his first at an Australian ATP tournament, with 11 aces and 66 per cent first serve accuracy in the first set, a day
after his 18 aces took world No.3 Grigor Dimitrov out of their semi-final.
After the first set, Kyrgios debated with umpire Fergus Murphy that Harrison should not have been allowed such a long break to go off court.
“It’s in the rulebook right now that he can just leave the court for almost 10 minutes. How long can you go for?’’ Kyrgios said.
Murphy replied that Harrison’s time away from the court was “reasonable’’.
“What’s reasonable? It’s not reasonable,’’ Kyrgios said.
He said after both his quarter and semi-final wins that he would not lose any sleep if he lost his next match in Brisbane, which was an honest reaction if not exactly something the tournament will run as an advertising slogan next summer.
Kyrgios’ critics may want to acknowledge that this tournament, at least, was one in which he conducted himself well on-court, not receiving one code violation, even in a final in which he felt officials were not giving him a fair rub of the green.
The Aussie will take his four matches of tournament play to the Open via the detour of two modified-scores evenings this week in Sydney and Melbourne.
Kyrgios served eight aces in his first three games, but needed to, as he had to avert two break-point chances at 0-1 and three more at 2-3.
He pounced on his first break point chances in a game in which he cracked two forehand passes.