MELBOURNE, Australia – It didn’t take long for Nick Kyrgios to make headlines at the 2021 Australian Open.
After a 0-2 break in the first set against Portuguese Frederico Ferreira Silva on Monday evening, Kyrgios turned his attention to his player’s box and exclaimed loudly: “Tell your girlfriend to get out of my box!”
It’s unclear exactly who and what he was referring to, but it turned out to be the catalyst for a quick turnaround in fortunes; Kyrgios quickly broke back and equalized the match at 2am, then muttered softly: “Wonder why?”
“Tell your girlfriend to get out of my box!” 😂
Add another classic Nick Kyrgios moment to the list. 🗒
WATCH: @ Channel9
STREAM: https://t.co/ykPpc0k2wf# 9WWOS #AusOpen pic.twitter.com/ul2PWBlaFQ– Wide World of Sports (@wwos) February 8, 2021
From then on, the Australian was on the verge of taking a 5-4 lead in the set before stopping the proceedings again, this time shouting at a member of the crowd for speaking between his opponent’s first and second serve. “Be quiet, man, have some respect for the boy,” Kyrgios said.
He approached the chair umpire after that match and loudly asked if he was going to do anything about it.
Kyrgios then took the first set and was rarely challenged on his way to a 6-4, 6-4, 6-4 win – occasionally offering himself some advice, and at one point his opponent for an unused towel during the game. exchange hair.
He said after the game he tried to strengthen himself and adapt to the pace and expectations of Grand Slam tennis – something he has been missing for the past year.
“I’m a fool when I’m on court, [but] “It was just the heat of the day,” Kyrgios said. ‘It was just being outside again, all those emotions. I almost said, “Dude, it’s time to wake up.” It’s not just any 250, you know [event]. … [In] I thought, “Dude, it’s the Australian Open again.” “
With a year off from professional tennis, Kyrgios shifted his focus to off-court activities, from his NK Foundation, which works with underprivileged children, to his charity work, where he delivered much-needed groceries to Australian families in need. At last year’s Open, he made a service pledge that helped start a massive forest fire-fighting fundraiser.
He said that while he feels like he has always had a sense of ‘perspective’, he is starting to appreciate things in life other than tennis.
‘I wouldn’t say I don’t care [tennis] because it’s something I’ve devoted my whole life to, “he said.” It’s more that outside of tennis I do a lot of things with my platform that I wouldn’t be able to do if I wasn’t a good tennis player. I think this kind of perspective that I have helps me and my game. I certainly play a little looser than other players, but that’s just the way I play.
“Like, I’ve had a lot of things going on in my life, and I’ve been through a lot, and those are really things instead of, you know, losing a tennis match … At the end of the day, I know it’s just a tennis match Obviously I will get angry while playing. I am a competitor, I always want to win. I don’t beat myself by losing. “
Kyrgios also responded to eight-time Australian Open champion Novak Djokovic’s latest comments, part of a recent back-and-forth action that has seemingly flipped the script in the sport, which some consider Kyrgios to be an unlikely voice of reason.
Djokovic has had an uneven year since mid-2020, when he moved on to his Adria Tour tournament in Croatia, where he and several other big tennis stars signed COVID-19. He also publicly questioned the effectiveness of masks, saying he was “against vaccinations” and, upon his arrival in Australia, submitted a list of requests on behalf of players in Melbourne’s hotel quarantine system.
Djokovic once again drew the ire of local fans during his pre-tournament press conference, in 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 is a very talented man, he has a great game and he has proven that he has the quality to beat any player in the world,” said Djokovic. “Out of court, I don’t have much respect for him, to be honest. That’s where I’ll close it. I don’t really have any further comments for him and his own comments for me or anything else he’s trying to do.”
On Monday, Kyrgios responded to the question about the Serbian’s comments.
“It’s a stranger to me,” said Kyrgios. “I’ve read his comments. He said he doesn’t respect me out of court. It would actually make perfect sense to me if he thought, ‘I don’t respect the man on the court’ because I understand if he doesn’t Disagree with some of my court antics that I have done in the past. “
Kyrgios, meanwhile, wants to break through at his home base Slam, as he will face 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 has yet to make it to that round in a Slam (his only other Slam appearance in the quarter-finals was at Wimbledon in 2014). Regardless, he said he wouldn’t lose his overall perspective.
“I am extremely lucky to be even in my position. I am healthy. You know, I have great friends, a great family and a great friend at home. I am blessed,” he said with a smile. “Look at me, I’m a wise man now.”