One unshakeable constant of Nick Kyrgios’ season thus far has been his tennis, despite all of the controversy that has always surrounded him. Even though he has played tennis little this year, Kyrgios is quietly playing some of his best tennis of all time, and his level has been excellent practically every time he has taken the court. He has therefore prepared himself for the lengthy grand slam run that has eluded him thus far in his career.
But focusing solely on Kyrgios’ tennis can occasionally seem like the most difficult thing in the world when there is so much negativity surrounding him all the time.
Kyrgios inserted himself deeply into Stefanos Tsitsipas’s psyche and eventually emerged as a victor, defeating Tsitsipas, the No. 4 seed, 6-7 (2), 6-4, 6-3, 7-6 (7) to advance to the fourth round of Wimbledon in a match that lived up to all of the anticipation, from gripping, quality tennis to farcical, unhinged chaos.
Following the match, Tsitsipas referred to Kyrgios as a bully and urged the tour to take action to put an end to his antics on the court: “It’s relentless bullying, that’s what he does. He intimidates his opponents. He most likely bullied kids in school himself. I detest bullies. I don’t like those who disparage others. He also possesses some admirable qualities. He does, however, possess a very dark side.
After reading Tsitsipas’ press conference comments, Kyrgios’ tone altered after professing his affection for Tsitsipas in his on-court interview. If I lost to someone two weeks in a row, I would also be rather upset. Perhaps he should first figure out how to defeat me a few more times before moving on to that.
While Kyrgios was unquestionably the superior player in the opening set, Tsitsipas put his head down and concentrated solely on himself, winning the tie-break at the end. It is accurate to state that the sense of peace and composure was short-lived.
Kyrgios began to fight with Damien Dumusois, the umpire, about line calls right away. When the ends switched, he yelled. He termed those with whom he disagreed stupid. But his tennis was also excellent; in a stroke of brilliance, he won the second set by deflecting Tsitsipas’s smash with a forehand passing ball.
Tsitsipas burst into flames as that set shifted away from him. He was exceedingly lucky not to hit anyone as he launched a shot towards the lower portion of the crowd, well below his player’s box.