The Press and Journal (Inverness, Highlands, and Islands)
Kyrgios antics as he sets up a Nadal duel
Nick Kyrgios put himself through more turmoil as he set up a blockbuster showdown with Rafael Nadal – and then admitted he will never change.
The volatile 24-year-old was almost in full meltdown mode during a rollercoaster five-setter against fellow Australian Jordan Thompson.
Kyrgios earned a code violation for whacking a ball out of court and lost a set to love for the first time at a grand slam.
He threw in five attempted “tweeners” – all of which missed – and an underarm serve on set-point which also backfired.
But the world number 43 still managed to beat Thompson 7-6 (4), 3-6, 7-6 (10), 0-6, 6-1 in just under three-and-a-half hours.
“I’m never going to change,” he said. “I used to be like this when I played under-12s, 14s.
“I just go out there, have fun, play the game how I want it to be played. At the end of the day, I know people are going to watch.
“Like, they can say the way I play isn’t right or he’s classless for the sport, all that sort of stuff. They’re probably still going to be there watching.”
Kyrgios, fined more than £13,000 for his histrionics at Queen’s Club a fortnight ago, was at his breathtaking best and petulant worst in front of a packed Court Three.
Exchanging jokes with the crowd, he practised cricket shots after one winner that resembled a cover drive and dived extravagantly while chasing another.
At set-point down in the first, he fired in a 133mph second serve before coming through in the tiebreak.
However, serving at 4-5 in the third set, he began complaining to the umpire about a camera lens shining in his eyes and a woman who was speaking too loud.
The code violation, for smashing a ball out of the court, and an argument over a wrong line call – corrected after a challenge – irked Kyrgios further.
But fuelled by his usual sense of injustice he held serve with an ace and promptly broke to love.