Crushing defeat leaves Kyrgios with plenty to ponder
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It’s a record that almost any other player would love: in three men’s singles appearances at Wimbledon, Nick Kyrgios has amassed three appearances in the fourth round.
The nine match points he saved against Richard Gasquet on his debut as an 19-year-old are woven into recent tennis folklore and, amid an impressive 10-3 winning record at the All England Club, Kyrgios has a Centre Court win over the then-world No.1, Rafael Nadal.
Such a lot of milestones for a man who only recently turned 21. So why is the Australian being so hard on himself?
“I think, when things get tough, I'm just a little bit soft,” Kyrgios rued after a 7-5, 6-1, 6-3 loss to Andy Murray on Centre Court. “I mean, I've got experience, but it ultimately comes down to just laying it all out there and competing for a long time. I didn't do that at all.”
Granted, it had seemed a surrender of sorts from Kyrgios when Murray, the No.2 seed, took just an hour and 43 minutes to stamp out the massive hype generated for their fourth round contest. With wins over Nadal and Roger Federer on his record, and enjoying his best season in 2016, the Australian had his highest seeding, No.15, at a Grand Slam. And while many expected him to challenge Murray, many simply craved entertainment: with his explosive talent, high emotion and edge-of-your-set unpredictability, Kyrgios brings a lot of it to the court.
That trademark flair helped Kyrgios defeat Radek Stepanek, Dustin Brown and Feliciano Lopez in the first three rounds, but it appeared only fleetingly against Murray – most notably, the 44-minute first set. In his commentary role, John McEnroe noted that the gifted young player “needs to work harder” at his game.
Others, though, acknowledged the rapid progress that Kyrgios has already made. Todd Woodbridge, who has nine Wimbledon men’s doubles titles on a bulging CV, saw many positives in his performance. “From my perspective, I thought he played a terrifically good match,” said the Australian, pointing to some important lessons Kyrgios can take from his latest Wimbledon run.
“What stood out was that if he can come off the court, go watch that match and say to himself, ‘for an hour - just on an hour, one set - I played brilliantly. I played really great tennis. I served well, I matched it with him. I was aggressive. I did everything I needed to do but the guy at the other end of the court has done the hard yards and was physically so much better’.”
A close friend of Kyrgios, Murray has been one of the Australian’s most steadfast supporters – and Woodbridge believes that the world No.2’s career progression provides Kyrgios with a positive example in his own path. “Mentally, they’re not dissimilar characters but Andy has worked out how to get over that hump,” said Woodbridge. “It was almost like looking at a 19 or-20-year old Murray at the other end, and what Nick can become. That’s what I got out of that match.”
Some wonder whether we’ve come to expect too much of the fast-rising young player, but Woodbridge pointed out that nobody has higher expectations than Kyrgios himself. “Nick is learning, very slowly, how to cope with his own expectations and I can tell you, from a playing perspective, that’s all you care about it,” Woodbridge said.
“When he’s not winning and he doesn’t think he’s playing well, he shows us. He has to learn to control that emotion, but it’s because of his own pressure. It’s the pressure he’s putting on himself, it’s not the pressure from outside – not at this point.”
That pressure showed in the widely reported comment from Kyrgios, soon after his exit, that “at times, like I've previously said, I don't love the sport”.
I just lost in the fourth round. I didn't lose in qualifying. I feel like I'm doing all right"
However, despite such bitter disappointment, the Australian managed to retain a sense of perspective. “I obviously like playing the game,” he added. “It's a massive part of my life.”
Kyrgios was the youngest man to reach Wimbledon’s fourth round and, even amid his harsh self-assessment, he noted the milestone of that performance. “I just lost in the fourth round. I didn't lose in qualifying,” he said. “I feel like I'm doing all right.”
That’s good news for the many fans who have been drawn to his electrifying – if often enigmatic – brand of tennis. If there’s one thing you can read into his growing Wimbledon record, it is that the Australian will be back to showcase even more of it.
