Quieter, calmer Kyrgios in quarters

WIMBLEDON, ENGLAND » Nick Kyrgios stepped into a nearly full Centre Court to polite applause at precisely 1:30 p.m. on July 4, exited about 3 ½ hours later to a louder ovation and, somehow, the 100-year-old stadium survived the experience.

In the warmup period, Kyrgios flicked a ball between his legs and closed with an underarm serve, hardly standard procedure. During the 4-6, 6-4, 7-6 (2), 3-6, 6-2 victory at Wimbledon over unseeded American Brandon Nakashima that followed, putting Kyrgios in a Grand Slam quarterfinal for the first time in 7 ½ years, he tried those sorts of trick shots a few times. Afterward, he ditched his ruleconforming but backward, brim-bent white cap and white shoes in favor of red versions.

“Because,” he explained when pressed about the sartorial choices, “I do what I want.”

Yet, somehow, those seated in the Royal Box never turned their backs in protest. And, somehow, the grass-court tournament that dates to the 1880s did not grind to a halt.

Maybe that’s simply because, in addition to smacking 35 aces and “ripping the ball from the baseline” — to use Nakashima’s words — despite a shoulder that hurt so much he took painkilling pills and received repeated treatment from a trainer, Kyrgios displayed a much quieter, much calmer demeanor than the guy who earned fines of $10,000 for spitting in the direction of a heckling spectator at the end of his first-round match and $4,000 for an audible obscenity during his tempestuous win against No. 4 seed Stefanos Tsitsipas in the third round.

“I was able to just say, ‘Wow, look how far I’ve come,’ to myself. I was bouncing the ball before I served; I really just smiled to myself,” said Kyrgios, owner of a tour-high 11 victories on grass this season. “I was like, ‘We’re here, we’re competing at Wimbledon, putting in a good performance mentally. It was rewarding.”

The unseeded Kyrgios, now 6-0 in five-setters at the All England Club, next faces unseeded Cristian Garin, a 26-year-old from Chile who saved a pair of match points and authored the fortnight’s first comeback from two sets down to defeat No. 19 seed Alex de Minaur, 2-6, 5-7, 7-6 (3), 6-4, 7-6 (10-6) after more than 4½ hours.

The other quarterfinal on their half of the draw will be 22-time Grand Slam champion Rafael Nadal against No. 11 Taylor Fritz.