Kyrgios brings chaos and charm in equal measure
Wild Thing makes hearts sing as rampant Australian rips past Raonic to last 16
T 20, Nick Kyrgios may not quite be ready to claim a major title – but he is fast becoming a contender. A year ago, he lost a Wimbledon quarter-final to Milos Raonic in four sets, winning one only on the tiebreak. This time, in the third round, he won in four, and convincingly at that.
As he had done in his previous two matches, the Australian indulged in a spot of brattish behaviour, earning a warning after slamming his racket off the ground and watching it bounce into the crowd. But once that early spasm was out of the way, he kept his focus well, playing some superb tennis in a 5-7, 7-5, 7-6 (7/3), 6-3 demolition of the No.7 seed from Canada.
If you have never seen Kyrgios play, imagine a supersized crow pumped full of adrenalin and sent on to court. Squawking, flapping and twitching, he bewitched the spectators on No.2 Court, keeping up little staccato chats with them between points.
That’s the most important thing about the No.26 seed. Though sullen and self-indulgent at times, he loves tennis and he loves to entertain. And he does so at speed – watch a match of his on fast forward and you’d better strap yourself in for the ride, because Kyrgios is on fast forward already.
Time, it seems, functions differently for him, enabling him to perceive on-court openings which pedestrian mortals miss. Watching him is tiring enough. Playing against him must be as perplexing mentally as it is exhausting physically.
Those who feel it their duty to uphold the traditions of the sport no doubt see the undemonstrative Raonic as an infinitely preferable role model.
The 24-year-old with the impeccably coiffed blue-black hair would certainly make a welcome guest at a rural Surrey vicarage garden fete. But when it comes to winning big matches, his lack of imagination and versatility often count against him – in particular when he is up against someone as erratically inventive as Kyrgios.
Granted, Raonic was hampered by foot problems and what looked like a hip injury during the latter stages of this Day Five match, in addition to the arm strain he already had. But that did no more than exacerbate his main problem, which was the sheer ferocity and inventiveness coming his way from the other side of the net.
The difference between the two, you suspect, is that Kyrgios is possessed by a rage to conquer: Raonic just thinks it would be rather nice to win a title.
That does not necessarily mean that the Australian will win a major first, but it does imply that he will be in contention more often, and that he will enjoy a more rewarding career – provided, that is, that he keeps the lid on his temper.
The younger man blinked first in the opening set, effectively throwing it away by committing three double faults in the one game after everything up to that point had been even. The picture was reversed in the second, however, as, after steadily getting a better read on the Raonic serve and breaking for a 6-5 lead, the Australian served out with three aces. Backed by the most vociferous set of supporters in tennis since Marcos Baghdatis’ fans took on the Melbourne police a few years back, Kyrgios took the third on the tiebreak. Raonic got an early mini-break, but Kyrgios soon resumed control and won 7-3.
At the business end of the fourth, the pressure was really on Raonic when he served at 4-3 down.
Looking increasingly leaden-footed by this time, he got himself into trouble with a double fault, and Kyrgios rammed home the advantage. Serving for the match, the Australian made no mistake, and is now through to a fourth-round meeting on Monday with Richard Gasquet, a winner over Grigor Dimitrov on Centre Court.
While he is still too raw and loose at times, Kyrgios knows he is heading in the right direction, and is convinced that his style of play is the best way of expressing his love for the sport. “When I’m in that state of mind, when I feel relaxed and I’m playing around, I think that’s when I play my best tennis,” he said.
“I’m focusing, but at the same time I’m having fun. When I find that balance, I play some really good tennis. I thought I was doing that today in the second, third and fourth [sets]. I was chatting to the crowd every now and then, playing with the ball boys. That’s a good place to be out there.”
Asked if he could win the tournament, Kyrgios replied: “Yeah, I think if I play the right style of tennis, obviously if I’m serving well, feeling good out there, I think I can go close. I have a tough task ahead – Gasquet is playing some really good tennis. Beating Dimitrov is not an easy task on the grass.”
The other Australian in the top half of the draw, Bernard Tomic, lost in straight sets to Novak Djokovic. The defending champion will meet Kevin Anderson on Monday after the South African defeated Leonardo Mayer.