MELBOURNE, Australia – It did not take too long before Nick Kyrgios made headlines during the Australian Open in 2021.
With a 0-2 halftime lead in the first set against Portuguese Frederico Ferreira Silva on Monday night, Kyrgios turned his attention to his player’s box and exclaimed loudly: “Tell your girlfriend to get out of my box!”
It is unclear exactly to whom and to whom he referred, but it was the catalyst for a rapid turnaround in fate; Kyrgios quickly broke back and leveled the game at 2 and then mumbled under his breath: “Do you wonder why?”
“Tell your girlfriend to get out of my box!” 😂
Add another classic Nick Kyrgios moment to the list. 🗒
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STREAM: https://t.co/ykPpc0k2wf# 9WWOS #AusOpen pic.twitter.com/ul2PWBlaFQ– Wide World of Sports (@wwos) 8 February 2021
Hence, the Australian was on the verge of taking a 5-4 lead in the set before stopping the procedure again, and this time he shouted out a member of the crowd as he chatted between his opponent for the first and second time. has. “Be quiet brother, respect the child,” Kyrgios said.
He approached the chair referee after the match and asked him loudly if he was going to do anything about it.
Kyrgios took the first set and was rarely challenged on the way to a 6-4, 6-4, 6-4 victory – while sometimes advising himself, and at one point asking his opponent for an unused towel while changing points.
After the game, he said he was trying to strengthen himself and adapt to the pace and expectations associated with Grand Slam tennis – something he had missed over the past year.
‘I’m a morass case when I’m in court, [but] Kyrgios said, “it was just the heat of battle,” it was just out there, all the emotions again. I almost said, “Dude, it’s time to wake up.” It’s not just like a 250 [event]. … [In] my mind, I was like, ‘Dude, this is the Australian Open again.’ “
With a year of free professional tennis, Kyrgios has shifted his focus to out-of-court activities, from his NK foundation, which works with underprivileged children, to his charity work, where he supplied much-needed groceries to Australian families in need. At last year’s Open, he delivered a service pledge that helped launch a giant fundraising effort for forest fire relief.
He said although he always feels he has a “perspective”, he begins to appreciate things in life other than tennis.
‘I would not say I do not care [tennis] for it is something to which I have devoted my whole life, “he said. It’s more that I do a lot of things with my platform outside of tennis that I would not have been able to do if I were not a good tennis player. I think this kind of perspective I have helps me and my game. I definitely play a little looser than other players, but that’s just the way I play.
“Like, I’ve got a lot of things going on in my life, and I’ve been through a lot, and these are real things rather than losing a tennis game … At the end of the day, I know it’s just a “Tennis match. Of course I’m going to get angry while I play. I’m a competitor, I always want to win. I do not beat myself over losses.
Kyrgios has also reacted to the latest comments from eight-time Australian Open champion Novak Djokovic, who is part of a recent back-and-forth that has apparently turned the script around in the sport, and some consider Kyrgios to be an unlikely voice of reason.
Djokovic has had an uneven year since mid-2020, when he continued his Adria Tour tournament in Croatia, on which he and a number of other major tennis stars contracted COVID-19. He also publicly questioned the effectiveness of masks, saying he was ‘opposed to vaccinations’ and tabling a list of requests on behalf of players in Melbourne’s hotel quarantine system on his arrival in Australia.
Djokovic once again angered local fans during his pre-tournament news conference, during which the eight-time Melbourne champion said he did not respect Kyrgios ‘off the track’.
“My respect is for him for the tennis he plays. I think he is a very talented guy, he has a great game and he has proven that he has the quality to beat any player in the world,” said Djokovic said. “From the court I do not have much respect for him, to be honest. This is where I will close it. I do not really have any more comments for him and his own comments on me or anything else he is trying to do. . ‘
On Monday, Kyrgios responded when asked about the Serb’s comments.
“This is a strange one for me,” Kyrgios said. “I read his comments. He said he did not respect me from the court. It would make perfect sense to me if he was like ‘I respect the man in court’ because I understand if he do not do. ” do not agree with some of my antics about the court I have done in the past. ‘
Kyrgios meanwhile wants to break through at his home Slam, as he faces Frenchman Ugo Humbert in the second round on Wednesday. His best performance in Melbourne was in 2015, when he reached the quarter-finals. And he still has to pass the round in any Slam (his only other quarterfinal round in Slam was at Wimbledon in 2014). Either way, he said he would not lose his overall perspective.
“I’m very happy to be even in my position. I’m healthy. You know, I have good friends, a wonderful family and an amazing girlfriend at home. I’m blessed,” he said with a smile. . “Look at me, I’m a wise man now.”