MELBOURNE, Australia – It didn’t take long for Nick Kyrgios to win titles at the 2021 Australian Open.
A 0-2 break in the first set against Portuguese Frederico Ferreira Silva on Monday night, Kyrgios turned his attention to his player’s box, exclaiming aloud, “Tell your friend to get out of my box!”
It is not clear who and what he was referring to, but it proved to be the catalyst for a rapid change of fortunes; Kyrgios rushed quickly and tied the contest at 2, then muttered under his breath, “I wonder why?”
“Tell your girlfriend to get out of my box!” 😂
Add another classic Nick Kyrgios moment to the list. 🗒
CLOCK: @ Channel9
STREAM: https://t.co/ykPpc0k2wf# 9WWOS #AusOpen pic.twitter.com/ul2PWBlaFQ– The wide world of sports (@wwos) February 8, 2021
From there, the Australian was about to take a 5-4 lead in the set before stopping the proceedings again, this time shouting at a crowd member for speaking between his opponent’s first and second serve. “Shut up, brother, you have a little respect for the child,” Kyrgios said.
He approached the umpire after that game, asking him out loud if he was going to do anything about it.
Kyrgios continued to take the first set and was rarely challenged on the road to a 6-4, 6-4, 6-4 victory – occasionally offering some advice in the process and at some point asking his opponent for a towel. unused during head changes.
After the match, he said he was trying to amplify and adapt to the pace and expectations that come with Grand Slam tennis – something he has missed in the last year.
“It’s a crazy case when I’m on the field, [but] they were just “heat” things, Kyrgios said. “It was just there, all those emotions again. I was almost saying, “Man, it’s time to wake up.” It’s not just that, you know, a 250 [event]. … [In] my mind was saying, “Man, it’s the Australian Open again.” “
With a year off from professional tennis, Kyrgios shifted his focus to off-field activities, from his NK Foundation, which works with disadvantaged children, to his charitable work, where he delivered much-needed food to Australian families in need. . At last year’s Open, he made a commitment to serve that helped launch a giant fundraising effort to improve the bush fire.
He said, while he feels he has always had a sense of “perspective”, he begins to appreciate things in life other than tennis.
“I would not say I don’t care [tennis] because it’s something I’ve dedicated my whole life to, “he said.” Besides, I do a lot of things with my platform outside of tennis, which I wouldn’t be able to do if I wasn’t a good tennis I think this kind of perspective that I have helps me and my game, I certainly play a little weaker than the other players, but that’s just the way I play.
“Like, I have a lot of things in my life and I’ve been through a lot, and these are real things, rather than knowing, losing a tennis match … At the end of the day, I know it’s just a match of tennis. Obviously, I’ll get angry as I play. I’m a competitor, I always want to win. I can’t overcome losses. “
Kyrgios also responded to the latest comments from eight-time Australian champion Novak Djokovic, part of a recent back-and-forth, which apparently turned the tide in the sport and sees Kyrgios as an unlikely voice of reason. .
Djokovic had an uneven year since mid-2020, when he continued with his Adria Tour in Croatia, where he and a number of other famous tennis stars contracted COVID-19. He also publicly questioned the effectiveness of the masks, said he was “opposed to vaccinations” and submitted a list of requests on behalf of players in Melbourne’s hotel quarantine system upon his arrival in Australia.
Djokovic once again angered local fans during his pre-tournament press conference, during which the eight-time Melbourne champion said he did not respect Kyrgios “off the field”.
“My respect goes to him for the tennis he plays. I think he’s a very talented guy, he has a great game and he has a quality to beat any player in the world,” Djokovic said. “Off the field, I don’t respect him too much, to be honest. I’ll lock her up there. I have no other comments for him and his own comments for me or anything else he’s trying to do.”
On Monday, Kyrgios responded when asked about Serb comments.
“It’s weird for me,” Kyrgios said. “I read his comments. He said he didn’t respect me off the field. In fact, it would make complete sense to me if it were “I don’t respect the guy on the field,” because I understand if I don’t agree with some of my whims on the field that I’ve done in the past. “
Meanwhile, Kyrgios is trying to enter Slam’s house, while he will face the Frenchman Ugo Humbert on Wednesday in the second round. His best performance in Melbourne was in 2015, when he reached the quarter-finals. And he still hasn’t made it through that round in any Slam (his only appearance in the quarterfinals of the Slam was in 2014 at Wimbledon). In any case, he said he would not lose his general perspective.
“I’m extremely lucky to be in my own position. I’m healthy. You know, I have wonderful friends, a great family and an amazing friend back home. I’m blessed,” he said with a smile. “Look at me, I’m a wise man now.”