LONDON: Nick Kyrgios says “a lot of people will be shocked” after reaching the quarter-finals at Wimbledon with a very professional five-set victory over Brandon Nakashima on Monday.
The 27-year-old Aussie’s fiery third-round win over Stefanos Tsitsipas led his opponent to brand him a bully with an evil side as Kyrgios’ antics once again polarized opinion.
Forty-eight hours later, however, Kyrgios was a model of maturity, barely uttering an angry word as he shrugged with a stiff shoulder and lacked his A-game to reach his third quarter of Grand Slam final with a 4-6 6-4 7-6(2) 3-6 6-2 win over Nakashima.
He was serene as he spoke to the media afterwards, describing his satisfaction at having beaten the tenacious 20-year-old American without playing his best tennis.
The world number 40 will next face Chilean Cristian Garin, with the door to his first Grand Slam semi-finals wide open.
When asked how he ignored the fierce criticism leveled at him by the likes of former champion and fellow Australian Pat Cash following his toxic win over Greece’s Tsitsipas, Kyrgios said he felt was just laughed at.
“It’s so funny. I joke with my team so much about it. It’s hilarious,” Kyrgios, who will play his first Wimbledon quarter-final since making his debut in 2014, told reporters.
“I almost wake up and I read things, and I laugh. And I never forget things, whether it’s three or four years ago, things that stick with me. I have a huge chip on my shoulder .Like I’m sitting here now in the quarter-finals at Wimbledon, and I just know there are so many people who are so upset.”
While some will be disappointed to see him pass, there’s no doubt that when he’s focused on his tennis, the mercurial Aussie is hugely entertaining.
He struggled with his timing and his shoulder against the impressive Nakashima and largely dispensed with his usual repertoire of exposure shots. But the way he got down to business in an “absolute battle” gave a hint as to how far he’d like to go this far.
“I didn’t feel the ball like I was against Tsitsipas or (Filip) Krajinovic,” he said. “I knew I had to keep my head down and fight today. It was a good mental performance.”
Kyrgios admitted that in the past he might have lost Monday’s game, especially with shoulder pain which prevented him from serving hard throughout.
“Mentally, I feel like I’m handling these things a lot better now,” he said, praising his team’s contribution. “I stayed pretty calm, knowing that I wasn’t able to serve all the way through all five sets. Obviously, I had to take painkillers.
“I wasn’t coming back well for a while, then I stuck to my guns in the fifth set.”
Trailing 5-3 in the fourth set, Kyrgios virtually stopped the match and for a moment looked like he was on the verge of collapse. But it was all a ruse, he said.
“Complete rope-to-drug tactic. I just threw that service game away. I knew he was in a rhythm,” he said.
“He was starting to get the better of me. I just wanted to throw him off a bit. It worked.”
A potential semi-final against Rafa Nadal is brewing but Kyrgios says he is ‘staying in the moment’.
“To be sitting here in the Wimbledon quarter-finals, feeling good, feeling calm, feeling mature. I’m extremely blessed. I feel like I’m comfortable in my own skin,” he said. he declares.