Nicholas Hilmy Kyrgios[3] (/ˈkɪriɒs/ KIRR-ee-oss; born 27 April 1995) is an Australian professional tennis player. As of August 2019, he was ranked No. 30 in the world in men's singles by the Association of Tennis Professionals (ATP)[4] and was the highest-ranked Australian in the ATP rankings.[5] Kyrgios has won six ATP Titles and has reached eight ATP finals, including the 2017 Cincinnati Masters.
In his junior career, Kyrgios won the boys' singles event at the 2013 Australian Open and the boys' doubles event at the 2013 Wimbledon Championships. During his professional career, Kyrgios reached the quarterfinals of the 2014 Wimbledon Championships—upsetting then world no. 1 Rafael Nadal and world no. 13 Richard Gasquet en route—and the quarterfinals of the 2015 Australian Open. Kyrgios is only the third player, after Dominik Hrbaty and fellow Australian Lleyton Hewitt, to have beaten Roger Federer, Rafael Nadal, and Novak Djokovic the first time he played each of them.[6]
Kyrgios has a reputation as a talented but mercurial player who frequently gets into trouble for his on-court conduct. On August 15, 2019, Kyrgios was fined $113,000 for his conduct at the Cincinnati Masters; the fine set an ATP record.
Personal life
Kyrgios was born in Canberra, Australia to a Greek father, Giorgos ("George") and a Malay mother, Norlaila ("Nill").[8][9][10] His father is a self-employed house painter, and his mother is a computer engineer.[11] His mother was born in Malaysia as a member of the Selangor royal family, but dropped her title as a princess when she moved to Australia in her twenties.[8][12] He has two siblings, brother Christos, and sister Halimah.[13] Kyrgios attended Radford College until Year 8 and completed his Year 12 certificate in 2012 at Daramalan College in Canberra.[14] He is a Greek Orthodox Christian[15][16] and always wears a gold necklace with a cross on it.[17]
Kyrgios was a promising basketball player who represented the Australian Capital Territory and Australia in his early teens before deciding to focus solely on tennis when he was 14 years old.[18] Two years later he gained a full scholarship at the Australian Institute of Sport, where he was able to further develop his tennis. In 2013, Kyrgios relocated his training base from Canberra to Melbourne Park in an attempt to further his career with better facilities and hitting partners.[19] A year later Tennis ACT announced a $27 million redevelopment of the Lyneham Tennis Centre in Canberra to lure Kyrgios back home and host Davis Cup and Fed Cup ties.[20] Kyrgios confirmed in January 2015 that he would return home and base himself in Canberra. He also donated $10,000 towards the Lyneham Tennis Centre redevelopment.[21][22]
Kyrgios is an avid fan of the Boston Celtics in the NBA[23] and Tottenham Hotspur in English football's Premier League.[24] His sports idol is NBA player Kevin Garnett.[25] His idols growing up were Roger Federer, Jo-Wilfried Tsonga, LeBron James and Michael Jordan.[13] Kyrgios also supports the North Melbourne Kangaroos Football Club in the Australian Football League.[26]
Kyrgios at the end of 2017, showed interest in cryptocurrency, more specifically an Australian-based initial coin offering.[27]
Kyrgios is in a relationship with Croatian-Australian tennis player Ajla Tomljanović. They briefly broke up after his loss at Wimbledon 2017, when Kyrgios was photographed dancing and clubbing with other female tennis players. He reaffirmed their relationship during the 2018 Australian Open.[28]
Junior career
Kyrgios won his first ITF junior tour title in Fiji in June 2010, aged 15.[29] He started to compete more regularly on the junior tour in 2011, making his junior grand slam debut at the 2011 Australian Open. During 2012 he won two junior grand slam doubles titles and rose to junior world number three, though he withdrew from the Australian Open Men's Wildcard Playoff due to injury.[30] Moving into 2013, he gained the number 1 junior ranking by defeating Wayne Montgomery in the Traralgon International final.[31] A week later he entered the Australian Open as the juniors number 3 seed and progressed to the final against fellow Australian Thanasi Kokkinakis. After saving two set points in the first set, Kyrgios won his first and only junior grand slam title.[32]
Professional career
2012-2013: First steps, turning pro
In his first round qualifying match at the 2012 Australian Open, Kyrgios won the first set in a tie-break. However, his opponent Mathieu Rodrigues cruised through the second and third sets to eventually defeat him. Kyrgios then competed on the 2012 ITF Men's Circuit for the rest of the season, competing in tournaments in Australia, Germany, Japan and Slovenia. At the end of the season, he had reached a semi-final and a quarter-final in Australian tournaments. He finished the year with a singles ranking of 838.
Kyrgios at the 2013 French Open
Kyrgios commenced the year ranked at number 838 and played his first professional tournament of the year at the 2013 Brisbane International, losing in the first round of qualifying to James Duckworth. He then lost in the first round of qualifying at the 2013 Australian Open to Bradley Klahn in straight sets. After winning the Boys' Singles, Kyrgios said his goal was to reach the top 300 by the end of the year.[33]
At the 2013 Nature's Way Sydney Tennis International, he defeated fellow Austrlian Matt Reid in straight sets in the finals to win his first challenger tour title at the age of 17.[34]
Kyrgios was given a wildcard into the qualifying competition of the 2013 French Open. However, on 20 May it was announced that John Millman was forced to withdraw from the main draw due to injury, which meant Kyrgios's wildcard was raised to the main draw. This meant he would compete in a main draw of a Grand Slam tournament for the first time.[35] In the first round Kyrgios had the biggest win of his career to date against the former world number 8 Radek Štěpánek in three sets, each of these ending in tie-breaks, giving him the first ATP Tour level win of his career.[36] Although he ultimately lost to Marin Čilić in the following round, his ranking rose to number 213. Kyrgios later qualified for the 2013 US Open, where he was beaten by fourth seed David Ferrer in his opening match. He reached a new career high of number 186 on 9 September 2013.[37] In October, Kyrgios made the semi-final of the 2013 Sacramento Challenger, before falling to Tim Smyczek. He ended the year with a singles ranking of 182.
2014: Wimbledon quarter-final, victory over world No.1
Kyrgios at the 2014 Wimbledon Championships
Kyrgios was to commence the 2014 season by making his debut at the 2014 Brisbane International after receiving a wildcard.[38] However, he withdrew before the commencement due to a shoulder injury.[39] On 8 January, Kyrgios was awarded a wildcard into the 2014 Australian Open,[40] where he won his first-round match against Benjamin Becker in four sets.[41] He lost in the second round to the 27th seeded Benoît Paire in five sets despite winning the opening two sets.[42]
Kyrgios received a wildcard into the 2014 U.S. National Indoor Tennis Championships, where he lost his first-round match to Tim Smyczek in three sets.[43] Kyrgios was then forced to withdraw from numerous ATP tournaments in Delray Beach and Acapulco due to an elbow injury.[44]
Kyrgios returned at the 2014 Sarasota Open where he reached the final by defeating Jarmere Jenkins, Rubén Ramírez Hidalgo, Donald Young and coming from a set down against Daniel Kosakowski. He defeated Filip Krajinović in straight sets for his second career challenger title.[45] Kyrgios reached the final of the 2014 Savannah Challenger, where he defeated second seed Jack Sock for the title. Kyrgios received a wildcard into the 2014 French Open, but was defeated in the first round in straight sets by 8th seed Milos Raonic. Kyrgios won his fourth career challenger title and his third of 2014 when he won the 2014 Aegon Nottingham Challenge, beating fellow Australian Sam Groth in straight-set tie-breaks.
In June, Kyrgios received a wildcard to the 2014 Wimbledon Championships. After defeating Frenchman Stéphane Robert in four sets in the first round, he defeated 13th seed Richard Gasquet in a five-set second-round thriller in which he lost the first two sets and saved nine match points. In the third round, Kyrgios beat Czech Jiří Veselý in four sets before going on to record the biggest win of his career so far by beating world number one Rafael Nadal in four sets to become the first male debutant to reach the Wimbledon quarter-finals since Florian Mayer in 2004. The shot of this match was a rear-forehand, half-volley winner from between Kyrgios's legs that David Polkinghorne of The Canberra Times described as "freakish" and "audacious".[46][47] Kyrgios subsequently lost to eighth seed Milos Raonic in four sets. Having reached the quarter-finals, Kyrgios, ranked 144th at the time, broke into the top 100 of the ATP World Rankings for the first time in his career.[48] Following his Wimbledon performance, Kyrgios's ranking rose to 66.[49]
In the Rogers Cup tournament in Toronto following Wimbledon, Kyrgios earned his first ATP World Tour Masters event win with a first-round victory over Santiago Giraldo in straight sets.[50] Kyrgios lost in the second round to 8th seed Andy Murray, winning just four games.[51] In the US Open, Kyrgios made it to the third round, defeating Mikhail Youzhny (seeded 21st) in four close sets, and Andreas Seppi in straight sets, before losing to 16th seed Tommy Robredo in four.
Kyrgios later played in the Malaysian Open, but lost in the first round. He skipped the rest of the season, citing burnout. He ended the year ranked 52nd in the world, and the second-ranked Australian behind Lleyton Hewitt.
2015: Second Major quarter-final, first final, top 30
Kyrgios in 2015
Kyrgios began his season at the Sydney International, but lost his opening match against Jerzy Janowicz in three tightly contested sets. This was followed by an appearance at the 2015 Australian Open, where he received direct entry due to his ranking for the first time. He defeated Federico Delbonis in a five-set thriller in his opening match, before going on to beat the 23rd seed Ivo Karlović in the second round and then Malek Jaziri in straight sets in the third. He then faced Andreas Seppi, who had just beaten Roger Federer in his previous match, in the fourth round. Kyrgios fell two sets behind and faced a match point late in the fourth set but recovered to win in five sets, the final set lasting 14 games. He thus became the first teenage male to reach two Grand Slam quarter-finals since Federer in 2001,[52] and the first Australian male to reach the quarter-finals since Lleyton Hewitt in 2005, and the first Australian of any gender since Jelena Dokic in 2009.[53] Kyrgios lost to eventual finalist Andy Murray in the quarter-finals in three sets. Following the tournament, he reached a career-high ranking of no. 35 in the world.[54] He later withdrew from tournaments in Marseille and Dubai due to a back injury he suffered during the Australian Open.[55] In Indian Wells, he served for the match against Grigor Dimitrov, but rolled his ankle and ultimately lost. He stated he would be out from 4 to 6 weeks due to the ankle injury.
He returned in the Barcelona Open. After receiving a bye in the first round, he would lose in three sets against fellow 19-year-old Elias Ymer. At the Estoril Open, Nick reached the final of an ATP tournament for the first time in his career, after defeating Albert Ramos Viñolas in three sets and over two hours, Filip Krajinović in two sets, Robin Haase under an hour and Pablo Carreño Busta in nearly two hours. He then lost to the fifth seed Richard Gasquet in the final in straight sets.
At the Madrid Open a week later, Kyrgios defeated world number two and 17-time Grand Slam champion Roger Federer in the second round, saving two match points in the final set tie-break in the process.[56] He then had a three-set loss to John Isner in the third round.[57] Prior to his finalist appearance at Estoril and round-of-16 finish in Madrid, Kyrgios had the unique distinction of having won more matches in Grand Slams (10 wins) than on the regular ATP Tour (2 wins).
Later in May at the French Open, Kyrgios was seeded 29th, his first Grand Slam seeding. He won in straight sets in the first round against Uzbekistani Denis Istomin.[58] He then received a walkover into the third round after his scheduled second-round opponent, Kyle Edmund, withdrew with injury.[59] In the third round, he lost in straight sets to third seed Andy Murray.[60] In the doubles, Kyrgios and partner Mahesh Bhupathi lost in straight sets in the first round to wild cards Thanasi Kokkinakis and Lucas Pouille.[61]
Seeded 26th at Wimbledon, Kyrgios opened with straight-set victories over Argentines Diego Schwartzman and Juan Mónaco in the first and second rounds, respectively.[62][63] In the third round, despite losing the first set, he advanced past seventh seed Milos Raonic before losing to Richard Gasquet in the fourth round, squandering set points in the fourth. During the tournament, he was involved in several controversies during matches, all of which resulted in code violation warnings. During his first-round match against Schwartzman, Kyrgios threatened to stop play following a disputed line call. In the following match, he was heard saying "dirty scum" by a linesman; Kyrgios said his words were not directed toward the umpire chair. During his third-round match against Raonic he smashed his racket, which bounced into the spectators stands, following a missed break point.[64] Kyrgios fell out of the top 40 in the rankings following the tournament.[65]
2016: Hopman Cup champion, top 15 and first three titles
Kyrgios began his year at the Hopman Cup alongside Daria Gavrilova as part of the Australia Green team. In the round robin, Australia Green won 3–0 against Germany, with Kyrgios winning his singles match against Alexander Zverev in three sets, and later partnering Gavrilova for a three-set win in the mixed doubles. In his second round-robin tie against Great Britain, Kyrgios recorded his first-ever win against then world number 2 Andy Murray in straight sets and he also won the doubles with Gavrilova in three sets, to claim a 2–1 win over the British team. He went on to win the Hopman Cup with Gavrilova, defeating Ukraine in the final which earned Kyrgios his first title of any category of professional tennis on the World Tour.
At the Australian Open he claimed straight-set wins over Pablo Carreño Busta and Pablo Cuevas before losing to sixth-ranked Tomáš Berdych in 4 sets.
Kyrgios won his maiden ATP title at the Open 13 in Marseille by defeating world number ten Richard Gasquet in the quarter-final, world number eight Tomáš Berdych in the semi-final and world number twelve Marin Čilić in the final, all in straight sets. Kyrgios finished the tournament without having his serve broken.
At the Dubai Tennis Championships Kyrgios reached the semi-finals where he retired against Stan Wawrinka whilst down (4–6, 0–3). At the 2016 Indian Wells tournament, he lost in the first round to Albert Ramos Viñolas (6–7, 5–7).
Kyrgios playing at the 2016 US Open
At the 2016 Miami Open Kyrgios reached his first ATP World Tour Masters 1000 semi-final with straight-sets wins against Marcos Baghdatis, Tim Smyczek, Andrey Kuznetsov and Milos Raonic. He lost in the semis in straight sets to Kei Nishikori. Following the tournament, Kyrgios moved into the world's top 20 for the first time, becoming the youngest player to be ranked in the top 20 since Marin Čilić, seven years previously.
Kyrgios played at the second major of the year at the French Open as the 14th seed where he defeated Marco Cecchinato and Igor Sijsling to reach the third round, before losing to 9th seed Richard Gasquet.
Kyrgios then played at the third major of the year at Wimbledon as the 15th seed. He advanced to the fourth round after defeating Radek Štěpánek, Dustin Brown and Feliciano López. In the fourth round Kyrgios lost to 2nd seed and eventual champion Andy Murray.
Kyrgios played at Atlanta as the second seed. He advanced to the final after defeating wildcard Jared Donaldson, fifth seed Fernando Verdasco and unseeded Yoshihito Nishioka. In the final Kyrgios faced number 1 seed and three-time defending champion John Isner, and defeated him to win his second ATP title. Kyrgios reached a career-high ranking of number 16 following the tournament.
Kyrgios reached the third round of the 2016 US Open against Illya Marchenko before retiring with a hip injury that had also affected him in previous rounds. He returned with a straight-sets win in his rubber for Australia in the Davis Cup World Group playoff.
In October, after a second-round loss against Kevin Anderson at the 2016 Chengdu Open, Kyrgios immediately bounced back by winning his first ATP World Tour 500 series title in Tokyo at the Rakuten Japan Open Tennis Championships, defeating David Goffin in three tight sets.
2017: First Masters final
At the 2017 Australian Open, Kyrgios was seeded 14th. He defeated Gastão Elias before falling to Andreas Seppi in round two, despite leading 2 sets to 0. At the Mexican Open, Kyrgios defeated Novak Djokovic in straight sets in the quarter-finals. Djokovic managed to win just 20.5% of return points in the match, his lowest ever in a tour match. Kyrgios eventually fell to Sam Querrey in 3 sets in the semi-finals. Kyrgios yet again defeated Djokovic in straight sets in the fourth round of the Indian Wells Masters tournament. He then withdrew from his quarter-final match with Roger Federer due to illness. He then moved to Miami, where he beat David Goffin and Alexander Zverev before losing in the semi-finals in three tie-break sets to Federer in three hours and ten minutes.
Kyrgios then participated in Madrid, where he lost in straight sets in the third round to Rafael Nadal. At Roland Garros, Kyrgios lost to Kevin Anderson in the second round after winning the first set. He then withdrew from his first-round matches at Queen's Club, Wimbledon and Washington due to injuries. After his recent slump in form, Kyrgios then reached the third round of the Montreal Masters, where he lost to Alexander Zverev in straight sets. In the Cincinnati Masters, Kyrgios made it to the quarter-finals, where he defeated world no. 2 Rafael Nadal in straight sets. He followed that up with a victory over David Ferrer to make it to his first Masters 1000 final, where he lost to Grigor Dimitrov in straight sets. At the China Open, he was crushed by Nadal in the final, losing (2–6, 1–6). Kyrgios's record against Nadal fell to 2–3 with this loss.
2018: First home soil title, clay season absence
In his first tournament of the season at the 2018 Brisbane International, Kyrgios received a bye into the second round due to being the 3rd seed. In his first competitive match since the 2017 European Open, Kyrgios lost the first set against his compatriot, Matthew Ebden in a first-set tie-break but later found his form and won in three sets. He reached the finals, defeating Ryan Harrison to win his first title since Tokyo 2016. Kyrgios' win returned him to the top 20, rising back to no. 17.
At the Australian Open Round of 32, Kyrgios defeated Jo-Wilfried Tsonga in four sets. He was then beaten by Grigor Dimitrov in a tight four sets, with the latter winning three tie-breaks.[66] Kyrgios served 36 aces in that match.[67]
After the Australian Open, Kyrgios was defeated in four sets by Alexander Zverev at the Davis Cup. It was soon revealed that he was playing with an elbow injury. In light of this development, he cancelled appearances at the Delray Beach Open and Indian Wells Masters tournament. He resumed his season at the Miami Open, defeating Dusan Lajovic and Fabio Fognini in straight sets before falling to Alexander Zverev, Jr. in straight sets.[68] Kyrgios weathered a lackluster clay season and did not play at the French Open, citing the elbow injury that spoiled the first quarter of 2018.[69]
Kyrgios and Jackson Withrow of the U.S.A. were knocked out of the first round doubles match by Sriram Balaji and Vishnu Vardhan. His next tournament, the Stuttgart Open, saw him reach the semifinals, falling (7–6(7–2), 2–6, 6–7(5–7)) to eventual champion Roger Federer.[70] Following Stuttgart, Kyrgios entered the Queen's Club Championships. His first round match was a victory over former World No. 1 Andy Murray with a score of (2–6, 7–6(7–4), 7–5). This was notable as it was Murray's return to the tour since Wimbledon 2017 and it was Kyrgios' first professional win over Murray after five prior attempts. He was defeated in the semifinals by Marin Cilic in two tiebreaks, (6–7(3–7), 6–7(4–7)). At Wimbledon, Kyrgios defeated Denis Istomin and Robin Haase but lost to Kei Nishikori in straight sets in the third round.
His campaign in the 2018 U.S. Open generated controversy. In his second-round match, Kyrgios appeared to be given advice by umpire Mohammed Lahyani that seemed to turn the tide in his match against Pierre-Hughes Herbert, which he won (4–6, 7–6(8–6), 6–3, 6–0). Kyrgios' U.S. Open run ended in the next round with a loss to Roger Federer, who saw him out in straight sets.
At the annual Laver Cup Kyrgios was defeated by former World no. 1 Roger Federer in straight sets. He then proceeded to win the doubles with Jack Sock against Grigor Dimitrov and David Goffin. At the Shanghai Open, he was accused of tanking by the chair umpire before losing to World No. 104 Bradley Klahn (6–4, 4–6, 3–6). His last event on the ATP tour was a wildcard draw at the Kremlin Cup. He defeated Andrey Rublev in three sets before withdrawing against his next opponent Mirza Basic, citing an elbow injury. He also revealed weeks later that he was seeing psychologists to improve his mental health.
2019: Two ATP 500 titles, Rome default and clay season boycotting
Kyrgios began 2019 at the Brisbane International, where, as a rematch of last year's final, he defeated Ryan Harrison in the round of 32. He subsequently lost to Jeremy Chardy. His middling performance in his home country culminated in a straight-sets loss to Milos Raonic at the Australian Open.[71]
Kyrgios won his fifth title in Acapulco after beating three top 10 players (Rafael Nadal, John Isner and Alexander Zverev) and three-time Grand Slam champion Stan Wawrinka en route.[72] His Miami Open campaign was full of controversy: a victory over Dusan Lajovic in the third round involved two successful underarm serves and an altercation with a spectator, and the follow-up loss to Borna Coric in the round of 16 involved another argument with a spectator and both players smashing racquets.[73] Following his loss, he acknowledged his opponent's more disciplined nature and questioned his own motivation.
In Rome, Kyrgios beat Daniil Medvedev but then lost his next match against Casper Ruud by default in the third set when he threw a chair on the court after swearing at a linesperson.[74] He forfeited the rankings points and prize money, but no further penalties were imposed. [75] At Wimbledon, Kyrgios defeated compatriot Jordan Thompson in a five setter, but lost to Rafael Nadal in four sets.
National representation
Davis Cup
Kyrgios made his Davis Cup debut for Australia in September 2013 against Poland at the age of 18.[76] He replaced Marinko Matosevic after defeating him in a playoff during the lead-up to the tie. He was selected to pair with Chris Guccione in the crucial doubles rubber. They lost to Mariusz Fyrstenberg and Marcin Matkowski in five sets. He then went on to win his first singles rubber, after Michał Przysiężny retired five games into the match.
After the media attention attracted during Wimbledon 2015 Kyrgios lost the second rubber of the quarter-final tie against Kazakhstan.[77] His most publicised quote during this match was his comment "I don't want to be here".[77] Kyrgios was then replaced by Sam Groth in the reverse singles rubber. He was dumped from the Davis Cup Squad due to play their semi-final tie against Great Britain.[78] He returned to the Davis Cup team in September 2016 for Australia's emphatic World Group playoff victory against Slovakia.
Olympics
Kyrgios qualified for his first Olympics at Rio 2016 but withdrew from the event due to differences with the Australian Olympic Committee.[79] However, Kyrgios later revealed he hoped to compete at Tokyo 2020.
Style of play
Kyrgios playing at the 2015 Wimbledon Championships
Kyrgios claims not to fear any opponent, and says he always plays aggressively.[65] Former British number one John Lloyd described watching Kyrgios as a "pleasure" because of "the mixture and the flair", adding that his character is one which attracts fans.[65] He is constantly described as "box office". Paul Annacone, a former Top 15 tennis player and once coach to Roger Federer, said in 2017, "I think Nick is the most talented player since Roger jumped on the scene."[80]
A strength of Kyrgios is his serve; usually reaching higher or equal accuracy percentages of 75%. Nonetheless, he also has a tremendous and blasting forehand as well as a very consistent and dangerous backhand. Adding to his skills are an effective slice and an efficient net game. In spite of the fact that his game suits perfectly grass and hard courts (achieving great results in Wimbledon and the Australian Open), he reached his first ATP Tour final, on clay, in Estoril. The Economist has described Kyrgios as "electric-serving" but a "one-dimensional attacking" player.[81]
Beginning in the 2019 Mexican Open, Kyrgios has brought prominence to the underarm serve in professional tennis matches. His first attempt during his match with Rafael Nadal landed outside of the service box but his followup attempts against Dusan Lajovic proved successful, drawing intense media coverage and comments from other professionals, such as Judy Murray and Roger Federer.[82]
Reputation and controversies
Kyrgios is known as a talented but mercurial[83][84][85] and hot-tempered player.[86][87][88] Kyrgios has been accused of "tanking", verbal abuse, and unsportsmanlike conduct by the media and by former tennis players, including John McEnroe.[89] In 2019, the Associated Press described Kyrgios as "a volatile sort who repeatedly has gotten in trouble for on-court actions".[90] However, he is also known for his authenticity[91] and his individuality,[92] and has been described by three-time Wimbledon champion John Newcombe as an "exceptional talent" and "a real individual".[65]
"Tanking"
At the 2015 Wimbledon Championships, after he failed to return numerous serves, Kyrgios was accused of "tanking"—deliberately not playing up to his abilities—during the second set of his fourth-round loss to Richard Gasquet. Kyrgios was booed by the crowd for his perceived lack of effort, but denied the accusations, stating "of course I tried".[93]
He admitted in 2017 that he had "probably" tanked at eight tournaments during his professional career, because on certain days he’d "rather be doing something else than play tennis".[6]
Stan Wawrinka
During a match at the 2015 Rogers Cup, Kyrgios generated considerable controversy for insults he directed at his opponent, Stan Wawrinka. After a point, Kyrgios, speaking aloud but not directly to Wawrinka, said: "Kokkinakis banged your girlfriend. Sorry to tell you that, mate". Microphones also picked up Kyrgios saying under his breath that Wawrinka, 30, is "banging 18-year-olds".[94] After the match, Wawrinka stated he found the comments "unacceptable" and urged action to be taken against Kyrgios.[95]
Kyrgios was fined $13,127 and given suspended penalties of $32,818 and a 28-day ban, pending further breaches by the ATP, and claimed he apologised to Wawrinka,[96][97] though this was later denied by Wawrinka himself.[98] Nick's mother, Nill, shut down her Twitter account several hours after this incident after personal criticisms were levelled at her. Nill Kyrgios indicated that her son's insults had been made in retaliation. Nill claimed that Wawrinka accused her son of "faking an injury" during a previous match between the two players.[99]
Following a review, the ATP handed down a 28-day suspended sentence, to expire after six months. Kyrgios would also have received a $25,000 fine had he incurred a further fine for "verbal or physical abuse" during that six-month period.[100] At the same tournament he received a $3,281 fine for unsportsmanlike conduct for a comment he made to a ball person.[97]
Shanghai Rolex Masters
In October 2016 Kyrgios was fined $32,900 (on top of an earlier fine of $21,659—$13,127 for lack of effort, $6,563 for verbal abuse of a spectator, and $1,969 for unsportsmanlike conduct) and banned for eight weeks for 'lack of best efforts' against unseeded Mischa Zverev in the second round of the Shanghai Rolex Masters.[101] He threw the match 6–3, 6–1, in 48 minutes,[102] at one point asking the umpire, "Can you call time so I can finish this match and go home?"
When later asked during a press conference if he thought he owed the fans a better effort, he responded: "What does that even mean? I'm good at hitting a tennis ball at the net. Big deal. I don't owe them anything. If you don't like it, I didn't ask you to come watch. Just leave."[103]
Criticism from John McEnroe
American former professional tennis player John McEnroe has criticised Kyrgios's behaviour several times. Following his defeat at the hands of Andy Murray at the 2016 Wimbledon championships, McEnroe criticised his temperament, saying: "Kyrgios has to look in the mirror if he wants to become a top player and win Slams." He questioned his attitude towards the sport as Kyrgios was reportedly seen watching compatriot Lleyton Hewitt in a doubles match shortly before his match with Murray.[89]
Two months later and following his exit from the US Open, Kyrgios was subject to further criticism from McEnroe. He called on Kyrgios to retire from the sport, saying: "Nick Kyrgios, if you don't want to be a professional tennis player, do something else." The comments came shortly after his third round defeat by Illya Marchenko, in which he retired due to a hip injury. McEnroe commented: "He's hurt because he's not training enough."[104]
At the same time, McEnroe has praised the talent of Kyrgios. In late 2018 on the Nine Network's Sunday Night show in Australia, McEnroe said that Kyrgios is "the most talented player [he's] seen in the last ten years". McEnroe also stated at the same time that Kyrgios may "run himself out" if he continues to choose not to commit himself to tennis.[105][106]
Interest in tennis
Kyrgios has openly stated that he "does not love tennis" and has a greater interest in basketball.[107] He openly critiqued his dedication to the sport after his exit at the 2017 US Open to fellow Australian John Millman by stating that he is "not dedicated to the game at all" and "There are players out there that are more dedicated, that want to get better, that strive to get better every day, the one-percenters. I'm not that guy."[108]
Other fines
Kyrgios has also been warned and fined for various other instances of inappropriate behaviour. He was given three code violations for audible obscenities and racket-smashing at the 2014 US Open (one more would have disqualified him), fined $4,926 for audible obscenities and racket-smashing at the 2015 Australian Open, fined $12,470 for unsportsmanlike conduct and $2,625 for swearing at 2015 Wimbledon, fined $4,370 for swearing at the 2016 Australian Open (he also took a phone call while on court during a mixed doubles match), fined $6,200 for swearing at the 2016 French Open, and fined $8,690 for swearing at the 2016 Wimbledon.[97]
At the 2018 Queen's Club Championships, Kyrgios was issued a $17,500 fine after "miming masturbation with his water bottle" during a changeover in his semifinal match against Marin Čilić.[109][110][111]
At the 2019 Rome Masters, Kyrgios was defaulted from his second round encounter with Casper Ruud after swearing at a line judge, kicking a bottle, and hurling a chair onto court. Kyrgios was subsequently fined €20,000 and forfeited all prize money and points earned during the event, and was told to cover the costs of his hospitality.[112][113]
In June 2019, Kyrgios was assessed three fines totaling $17,500 for unsportsmanlike conduct at the 2019 Queen's Club Championships.[114]
Kyrgios was fined $113,000 for five separate incidents of unsportsmanlike conduct at the 2019 Cincinnati Masters tournament. During the second set Kyrgios felt that the shot clock - which counts down the time allowed between points – had been started too early, and he delivered an expletive-laden rant at umpire Fergus Murphy, stating the Irish umpire was "the worst, hands down". He then walked off court claiming he needed to use the restroom, but instead used the time to smash two racquets on the floor in a corridor. At the end of the match, Kyrgios told Murphy he was "a fucking tool", chose not to shake the official's hand, displayed a vulgar gesture, and appeared to spit at him.[115][116] The fine set an ATP record.[7]
Endorsements
Kyrgios at the 2015 Aegon Championships
Kyrgios has endorsement deals with several companies, including Yonex, Nike[117] and Beats. Bonds distanced itself from Kyrgios during his controversies of 2015.[118] Malaysia Airlines ended their partnership after Kyrgios was suspended and fined for tanking in 2016 Shanghai Rolex Masters.[119]
Kyrgios is the founding contributor of the athlete direct publishing website, PlayersVoice, and has also invested financially in the digital platform
In his junior career, Kyrgios won the boys' singles event at the 2013 Australian Open and the boys' doubles event at the 2013 Wimbledon Championships. During his professional career, Kyrgios reached the quarterfinals of the 2014 Wimbledon Championships—upsetting then world no. 1 Rafael Nadal and world no. 13 Richard Gasquet en route—and the quarterfinals of the 2015 Australian Open. Kyrgios is only the third player, after Dominik Hrbaty and fellow Australian Lleyton Hewitt, to have beaten Roger Federer, Rafael Nadal, and Novak Djokovic the first time he played each of them.[6]
Kyrgios has a reputation as a talented but mercurial player who frequently gets into trouble for his on-court conduct. On August 15, 2019, Kyrgios was fined $113,000 for his conduct at the Cincinnati Masters; the fine set an ATP record.
Personal life
Kyrgios was born in Canberra, Australia to a Greek father, Giorgos ("George") and a Malay mother, Norlaila ("Nill").[8][9][10] His father is a self-employed house painter, and his mother is a computer engineer.[11] His mother was born in Malaysia as a member of the Selangor royal family, but dropped her title as a princess when she moved to Australia in her twenties.[8][12] He has two siblings, brother Christos, and sister Halimah.[13] Kyrgios attended Radford College until Year 8 and completed his Year 12 certificate in 2012 at Daramalan College in Canberra.[14] He is a Greek Orthodox Christian[15][16] and always wears a gold necklace with a cross on it.[17]
Kyrgios was a promising basketball player who represented the Australian Capital Territory and Australia in his early teens before deciding to focus solely on tennis when he was 14 years old.[18] Two years later he gained a full scholarship at the Australian Institute of Sport, where he was able to further develop his tennis. In 2013, Kyrgios relocated his training base from Canberra to Melbourne Park in an attempt to further his career with better facilities and hitting partners.[19] A year later Tennis ACT announced a $27 million redevelopment of the Lyneham Tennis Centre in Canberra to lure Kyrgios back home and host Davis Cup and Fed Cup ties.[20] Kyrgios confirmed in January 2015 that he would return home and base himself in Canberra. He also donated $10,000 towards the Lyneham Tennis Centre redevelopment.[21][22]
Kyrgios is an avid fan of the Boston Celtics in the NBA[23] and Tottenham Hotspur in English football's Premier League.[24] His sports idol is NBA player Kevin Garnett.[25] His idols growing up were Roger Federer, Jo-Wilfried Tsonga, LeBron James and Michael Jordan.[13] Kyrgios also supports the North Melbourne Kangaroos Football Club in the Australian Football League.[26]
Kyrgios at the end of 2017, showed interest in cryptocurrency, more specifically an Australian-based initial coin offering.[27]
Kyrgios is in a relationship with Croatian-Australian tennis player Ajla Tomljanović. They briefly broke up after his loss at Wimbledon 2017, when Kyrgios was photographed dancing and clubbing with other female tennis players. He reaffirmed their relationship during the 2018 Australian Open.[28]
Junior career
Kyrgios won his first ITF junior tour title in Fiji in June 2010, aged 15.[29] He started to compete more regularly on the junior tour in 2011, making his junior grand slam debut at the 2011 Australian Open. During 2012 he won two junior grand slam doubles titles and rose to junior world number three, though he withdrew from the Australian Open Men's Wildcard Playoff due to injury.[30] Moving into 2013, he gained the number 1 junior ranking by defeating Wayne Montgomery in the Traralgon International final.[31] A week later he entered the Australian Open as the juniors number 3 seed and progressed to the final against fellow Australian Thanasi Kokkinakis. After saving two set points in the first set, Kyrgios won his first and only junior grand slam title.[32]
Professional career
2012-2013: First steps, turning pro
In his first round qualifying match at the 2012 Australian Open, Kyrgios won the first set in a tie-break. However, his opponent Mathieu Rodrigues cruised through the second and third sets to eventually defeat him. Kyrgios then competed on the 2012 ITF Men's Circuit for the rest of the season, competing in tournaments in Australia, Germany, Japan and Slovenia. At the end of the season, he had reached a semi-final and a quarter-final in Australian tournaments. He finished the year with a singles ranking of 838.
Kyrgios at the 2013 French Open
Kyrgios commenced the year ranked at number 838 and played his first professional tournament of the year at the 2013 Brisbane International, losing in the first round of qualifying to James Duckworth. He then lost in the first round of qualifying at the 2013 Australian Open to Bradley Klahn in straight sets. After winning the Boys' Singles, Kyrgios said his goal was to reach the top 300 by the end of the year.[33]
At the 2013 Nature's Way Sydney Tennis International, he defeated fellow Austrlian Matt Reid in straight sets in the finals to win his first challenger tour title at the age of 17.[34]
Kyrgios was given a wildcard into the qualifying competition of the 2013 French Open. However, on 20 May it was announced that John Millman was forced to withdraw from the main draw due to injury, which meant Kyrgios's wildcard was raised to the main draw. This meant he would compete in a main draw of a Grand Slam tournament for the first time.[35] In the first round Kyrgios had the biggest win of his career to date against the former world number 8 Radek Štěpánek in three sets, each of these ending in tie-breaks, giving him the first ATP Tour level win of his career.[36] Although he ultimately lost to Marin Čilić in the following round, his ranking rose to number 213. Kyrgios later qualified for the 2013 US Open, where he was beaten by fourth seed David Ferrer in his opening match. He reached a new career high of number 186 on 9 September 2013.[37] In October, Kyrgios made the semi-final of the 2013 Sacramento Challenger, before falling to Tim Smyczek. He ended the year with a singles ranking of 182.
2014: Wimbledon quarter-final, victory over world No.1
Kyrgios at the 2014 Wimbledon Championships
Kyrgios was to commence the 2014 season by making his debut at the 2014 Brisbane International after receiving a wildcard.[38] However, he withdrew before the commencement due to a shoulder injury.[39] On 8 January, Kyrgios was awarded a wildcard into the 2014 Australian Open,[40] where he won his first-round match against Benjamin Becker in four sets.[41] He lost in the second round to the 27th seeded Benoît Paire in five sets despite winning the opening two sets.[42]
Kyrgios received a wildcard into the 2014 U.S. National Indoor Tennis Championships, where he lost his first-round match to Tim Smyczek in three sets.[43] Kyrgios was then forced to withdraw from numerous ATP tournaments in Delray Beach and Acapulco due to an elbow injury.[44]
Kyrgios returned at the 2014 Sarasota Open where he reached the final by defeating Jarmere Jenkins, Rubén Ramírez Hidalgo, Donald Young and coming from a set down against Daniel Kosakowski. He defeated Filip Krajinović in straight sets for his second career challenger title.[45] Kyrgios reached the final of the 2014 Savannah Challenger, where he defeated second seed Jack Sock for the title. Kyrgios received a wildcard into the 2014 French Open, but was defeated in the first round in straight sets by 8th seed Milos Raonic. Kyrgios won his fourth career challenger title and his third of 2014 when he won the 2014 Aegon Nottingham Challenge, beating fellow Australian Sam Groth in straight-set tie-breaks.
In June, Kyrgios received a wildcard to the 2014 Wimbledon Championships. After defeating Frenchman Stéphane Robert in four sets in the first round, he defeated 13th seed Richard Gasquet in a five-set second-round thriller in which he lost the first two sets and saved nine match points. In the third round, Kyrgios beat Czech Jiří Veselý in four sets before going on to record the biggest win of his career so far by beating world number one Rafael Nadal in four sets to become the first male debutant to reach the Wimbledon quarter-finals since Florian Mayer in 2004. The shot of this match was a rear-forehand, half-volley winner from between Kyrgios's legs that David Polkinghorne of The Canberra Times described as "freakish" and "audacious".[46][47] Kyrgios subsequently lost to eighth seed Milos Raonic in four sets. Having reached the quarter-finals, Kyrgios, ranked 144th at the time, broke into the top 100 of the ATP World Rankings for the first time in his career.[48] Following his Wimbledon performance, Kyrgios's ranking rose to 66.[49]
In the Rogers Cup tournament in Toronto following Wimbledon, Kyrgios earned his first ATP World Tour Masters event win with a first-round victory over Santiago Giraldo in straight sets.[50] Kyrgios lost in the second round to 8th seed Andy Murray, winning just four games.[51] In the US Open, Kyrgios made it to the third round, defeating Mikhail Youzhny (seeded 21st) in four close sets, and Andreas Seppi in straight sets, before losing to 16th seed Tommy Robredo in four.
Kyrgios later played in the Malaysian Open, but lost in the first round. He skipped the rest of the season, citing burnout. He ended the year ranked 52nd in the world, and the second-ranked Australian behind Lleyton Hewitt.
2015: Second Major quarter-final, first final, top 30
Kyrgios in 2015
Kyrgios began his season at the Sydney International, but lost his opening match against Jerzy Janowicz in three tightly contested sets. This was followed by an appearance at the 2015 Australian Open, where he received direct entry due to his ranking for the first time. He defeated Federico Delbonis in a five-set thriller in his opening match, before going on to beat the 23rd seed Ivo Karlović in the second round and then Malek Jaziri in straight sets in the third. He then faced Andreas Seppi, who had just beaten Roger Federer in his previous match, in the fourth round. Kyrgios fell two sets behind and faced a match point late in the fourth set but recovered to win in five sets, the final set lasting 14 games. He thus became the first teenage male to reach two Grand Slam quarter-finals since Federer in 2001,[52] and the first Australian male to reach the quarter-finals since Lleyton Hewitt in 2005, and the first Australian of any gender since Jelena Dokic in 2009.[53] Kyrgios lost to eventual finalist Andy Murray in the quarter-finals in three sets. Following the tournament, he reached a career-high ranking of no. 35 in the world.[54] He later withdrew from tournaments in Marseille and Dubai due to a back injury he suffered during the Australian Open.[55] In Indian Wells, he served for the match against Grigor Dimitrov, but rolled his ankle and ultimately lost. He stated he would be out from 4 to 6 weeks due to the ankle injury.
He returned in the Barcelona Open. After receiving a bye in the first round, he would lose in three sets against fellow 19-year-old Elias Ymer. At the Estoril Open, Nick reached the final of an ATP tournament for the first time in his career, after defeating Albert Ramos Viñolas in three sets and over two hours, Filip Krajinović in two sets, Robin Haase under an hour and Pablo Carreño Busta in nearly two hours. He then lost to the fifth seed Richard Gasquet in the final in straight sets.
At the Madrid Open a week later, Kyrgios defeated world number two and 17-time Grand Slam champion Roger Federer in the second round, saving two match points in the final set tie-break in the process.[56] He then had a three-set loss to John Isner in the third round.[57] Prior to his finalist appearance at Estoril and round-of-16 finish in Madrid, Kyrgios had the unique distinction of having won more matches in Grand Slams (10 wins) than on the regular ATP Tour (2 wins).
Later in May at the French Open, Kyrgios was seeded 29th, his first Grand Slam seeding. He won in straight sets in the first round against Uzbekistani Denis Istomin.[58] He then received a walkover into the third round after his scheduled second-round opponent, Kyle Edmund, withdrew with injury.[59] In the third round, he lost in straight sets to third seed Andy Murray.[60] In the doubles, Kyrgios and partner Mahesh Bhupathi lost in straight sets in the first round to wild cards Thanasi Kokkinakis and Lucas Pouille.[61]
Seeded 26th at Wimbledon, Kyrgios opened with straight-set victories over Argentines Diego Schwartzman and Juan Mónaco in the first and second rounds, respectively.[62][63] In the third round, despite losing the first set, he advanced past seventh seed Milos Raonic before losing to Richard Gasquet in the fourth round, squandering set points in the fourth. During the tournament, he was involved in several controversies during matches, all of which resulted in code violation warnings. During his first-round match against Schwartzman, Kyrgios threatened to stop play following a disputed line call. In the following match, he was heard saying "dirty scum" by a linesman; Kyrgios said his words were not directed toward the umpire chair. During his third-round match against Raonic he smashed his racket, which bounced into the spectators stands, following a missed break point.[64] Kyrgios fell out of the top 40 in the rankings following the tournament.[65]
2016: Hopman Cup champion, top 15 and first three titles
Kyrgios began his year at the Hopman Cup alongside Daria Gavrilova as part of the Australia Green team. In the round robin, Australia Green won 3–0 against Germany, with Kyrgios winning his singles match against Alexander Zverev in three sets, and later partnering Gavrilova for a three-set win in the mixed doubles. In his second round-robin tie against Great Britain, Kyrgios recorded his first-ever win against then world number 2 Andy Murray in straight sets and he also won the doubles with Gavrilova in three sets, to claim a 2–1 win over the British team. He went on to win the Hopman Cup with Gavrilova, defeating Ukraine in the final which earned Kyrgios his first title of any category of professional tennis on the World Tour.
At the Australian Open he claimed straight-set wins over Pablo Carreño Busta and Pablo Cuevas before losing to sixth-ranked Tomáš Berdych in 4 sets.
Kyrgios won his maiden ATP title at the Open 13 in Marseille by defeating world number ten Richard Gasquet in the quarter-final, world number eight Tomáš Berdych in the semi-final and world number twelve Marin Čilić in the final, all in straight sets. Kyrgios finished the tournament without having his serve broken.
At the Dubai Tennis Championships Kyrgios reached the semi-finals where he retired against Stan Wawrinka whilst down (4–6, 0–3). At the 2016 Indian Wells tournament, he lost in the first round to Albert Ramos Viñolas (6–7, 5–7).
Kyrgios playing at the 2016 US Open
At the 2016 Miami Open Kyrgios reached his first ATP World Tour Masters 1000 semi-final with straight-sets wins against Marcos Baghdatis, Tim Smyczek, Andrey Kuznetsov and Milos Raonic. He lost in the semis in straight sets to Kei Nishikori. Following the tournament, Kyrgios moved into the world's top 20 for the first time, becoming the youngest player to be ranked in the top 20 since Marin Čilić, seven years previously.
Kyrgios played at the second major of the year at the French Open as the 14th seed where he defeated Marco Cecchinato and Igor Sijsling to reach the third round, before losing to 9th seed Richard Gasquet.
Kyrgios then played at the third major of the year at Wimbledon as the 15th seed. He advanced to the fourth round after defeating Radek Štěpánek, Dustin Brown and Feliciano López. In the fourth round Kyrgios lost to 2nd seed and eventual champion Andy Murray.
Kyrgios played at Atlanta as the second seed. He advanced to the final after defeating wildcard Jared Donaldson, fifth seed Fernando Verdasco and unseeded Yoshihito Nishioka. In the final Kyrgios faced number 1 seed and three-time defending champion John Isner, and defeated him to win his second ATP title. Kyrgios reached a career-high ranking of number 16 following the tournament.
Kyrgios reached the third round of the 2016 US Open against Illya Marchenko before retiring with a hip injury that had also affected him in previous rounds. He returned with a straight-sets win in his rubber for Australia in the Davis Cup World Group playoff.
In October, after a second-round loss against Kevin Anderson at the 2016 Chengdu Open, Kyrgios immediately bounced back by winning his first ATP World Tour 500 series title in Tokyo at the Rakuten Japan Open Tennis Championships, defeating David Goffin in three tight sets.
2017: First Masters final
At the 2017 Australian Open, Kyrgios was seeded 14th. He defeated Gastão Elias before falling to Andreas Seppi in round two, despite leading 2 sets to 0. At the Mexican Open, Kyrgios defeated Novak Djokovic in straight sets in the quarter-finals. Djokovic managed to win just 20.5% of return points in the match, his lowest ever in a tour match. Kyrgios eventually fell to Sam Querrey in 3 sets in the semi-finals. Kyrgios yet again defeated Djokovic in straight sets in the fourth round of the Indian Wells Masters tournament. He then withdrew from his quarter-final match with Roger Federer due to illness. He then moved to Miami, where he beat David Goffin and Alexander Zverev before losing in the semi-finals in three tie-break sets to Federer in three hours and ten minutes.
Kyrgios then participated in Madrid, where he lost in straight sets in the third round to Rafael Nadal. At Roland Garros, Kyrgios lost to Kevin Anderson in the second round after winning the first set. He then withdrew from his first-round matches at Queen's Club, Wimbledon and Washington due to injuries. After his recent slump in form, Kyrgios then reached the third round of the Montreal Masters, where he lost to Alexander Zverev in straight sets. In the Cincinnati Masters, Kyrgios made it to the quarter-finals, where he defeated world no. 2 Rafael Nadal in straight sets. He followed that up with a victory over David Ferrer to make it to his first Masters 1000 final, where he lost to Grigor Dimitrov in straight sets. At the China Open, he was crushed by Nadal in the final, losing (2–6, 1–6). Kyrgios's record against Nadal fell to 2–3 with this loss.
2018: First home soil title, clay season absence
In his first tournament of the season at the 2018 Brisbane International, Kyrgios received a bye into the second round due to being the 3rd seed. In his first competitive match since the 2017 European Open, Kyrgios lost the first set against his compatriot, Matthew Ebden in a first-set tie-break but later found his form and won in three sets. He reached the finals, defeating Ryan Harrison to win his first title since Tokyo 2016. Kyrgios' win returned him to the top 20, rising back to no. 17.
At the Australian Open Round of 32, Kyrgios defeated Jo-Wilfried Tsonga in four sets. He was then beaten by Grigor Dimitrov in a tight four sets, with the latter winning three tie-breaks.[66] Kyrgios served 36 aces in that match.[67]
After the Australian Open, Kyrgios was defeated in four sets by Alexander Zverev at the Davis Cup. It was soon revealed that he was playing with an elbow injury. In light of this development, he cancelled appearances at the Delray Beach Open and Indian Wells Masters tournament. He resumed his season at the Miami Open, defeating Dusan Lajovic and Fabio Fognini in straight sets before falling to Alexander Zverev, Jr. in straight sets.[68] Kyrgios weathered a lackluster clay season and did not play at the French Open, citing the elbow injury that spoiled the first quarter of 2018.[69]
Kyrgios and Jackson Withrow of the U.S.A. were knocked out of the first round doubles match by Sriram Balaji and Vishnu Vardhan. His next tournament, the Stuttgart Open, saw him reach the semifinals, falling (7–6(7–2), 2–6, 6–7(5–7)) to eventual champion Roger Federer.[70] Following Stuttgart, Kyrgios entered the Queen's Club Championships. His first round match was a victory over former World No. 1 Andy Murray with a score of (2–6, 7–6(7–4), 7–5). This was notable as it was Murray's return to the tour since Wimbledon 2017 and it was Kyrgios' first professional win over Murray after five prior attempts. He was defeated in the semifinals by Marin Cilic in two tiebreaks, (6–7(3–7), 6–7(4–7)). At Wimbledon, Kyrgios defeated Denis Istomin and Robin Haase but lost to Kei Nishikori in straight sets in the third round.
His campaign in the 2018 U.S. Open generated controversy. In his second-round match, Kyrgios appeared to be given advice by umpire Mohammed Lahyani that seemed to turn the tide in his match against Pierre-Hughes Herbert, which he won (4–6, 7–6(8–6), 6–3, 6–0). Kyrgios' U.S. Open run ended in the next round with a loss to Roger Federer, who saw him out in straight sets.
At the annual Laver Cup Kyrgios was defeated by former World no. 1 Roger Federer in straight sets. He then proceeded to win the doubles with Jack Sock against Grigor Dimitrov and David Goffin. At the Shanghai Open, he was accused of tanking by the chair umpire before losing to World No. 104 Bradley Klahn (6–4, 4–6, 3–6). His last event on the ATP tour was a wildcard draw at the Kremlin Cup. He defeated Andrey Rublev in three sets before withdrawing against his next opponent Mirza Basic, citing an elbow injury. He also revealed weeks later that he was seeing psychologists to improve his mental health.
2019: Two ATP 500 titles, Rome default and clay season boycotting
Kyrgios began 2019 at the Brisbane International, where, as a rematch of last year's final, he defeated Ryan Harrison in the round of 32. He subsequently lost to Jeremy Chardy. His middling performance in his home country culminated in a straight-sets loss to Milos Raonic at the Australian Open.[71]
Kyrgios won his fifth title in Acapulco after beating three top 10 players (Rafael Nadal, John Isner and Alexander Zverev) and three-time Grand Slam champion Stan Wawrinka en route.[72] His Miami Open campaign was full of controversy: a victory over Dusan Lajovic in the third round involved two successful underarm serves and an altercation with a spectator, and the follow-up loss to Borna Coric in the round of 16 involved another argument with a spectator and both players smashing racquets.[73] Following his loss, he acknowledged his opponent's more disciplined nature and questioned his own motivation.
In Rome, Kyrgios beat Daniil Medvedev but then lost his next match against Casper Ruud by default in the third set when he threw a chair on the court after swearing at a linesperson.[74] He forfeited the rankings points and prize money, but no further penalties were imposed. [75] At Wimbledon, Kyrgios defeated compatriot Jordan Thompson in a five setter, but lost to Rafael Nadal in four sets.
National representation
Davis Cup
Kyrgios made his Davis Cup debut for Australia in September 2013 against Poland at the age of 18.[76] He replaced Marinko Matosevic after defeating him in a playoff during the lead-up to the tie. He was selected to pair with Chris Guccione in the crucial doubles rubber. They lost to Mariusz Fyrstenberg and Marcin Matkowski in five sets. He then went on to win his first singles rubber, after Michał Przysiężny retired five games into the match.
After the media attention attracted during Wimbledon 2015 Kyrgios lost the second rubber of the quarter-final tie against Kazakhstan.[77] His most publicised quote during this match was his comment "I don't want to be here".[77] Kyrgios was then replaced by Sam Groth in the reverse singles rubber. He was dumped from the Davis Cup Squad due to play their semi-final tie against Great Britain.[78] He returned to the Davis Cup team in September 2016 for Australia's emphatic World Group playoff victory against Slovakia.
Olympics
Kyrgios qualified for his first Olympics at Rio 2016 but withdrew from the event due to differences with the Australian Olympic Committee.[79] However, Kyrgios later revealed he hoped to compete at Tokyo 2020.
Style of play
Kyrgios playing at the 2015 Wimbledon Championships
Kyrgios claims not to fear any opponent, and says he always plays aggressively.[65] Former British number one John Lloyd described watching Kyrgios as a "pleasure" because of "the mixture and the flair", adding that his character is one which attracts fans.[65] He is constantly described as "box office". Paul Annacone, a former Top 15 tennis player and once coach to Roger Federer, said in 2017, "I think Nick is the most talented player since Roger jumped on the scene."[80]
A strength of Kyrgios is his serve; usually reaching higher or equal accuracy percentages of 75%. Nonetheless, he also has a tremendous and blasting forehand as well as a very consistent and dangerous backhand. Adding to his skills are an effective slice and an efficient net game. In spite of the fact that his game suits perfectly grass and hard courts (achieving great results in Wimbledon and the Australian Open), he reached his first ATP Tour final, on clay, in Estoril. The Economist has described Kyrgios as "electric-serving" but a "one-dimensional attacking" player.[81]
Beginning in the 2019 Mexican Open, Kyrgios has brought prominence to the underarm serve in professional tennis matches. His first attempt during his match with Rafael Nadal landed outside of the service box but his followup attempts against Dusan Lajovic proved successful, drawing intense media coverage and comments from other professionals, such as Judy Murray and Roger Federer.[82]
Reputation and controversies
Kyrgios is known as a talented but mercurial[83][84][85] and hot-tempered player.[86][87][88] Kyrgios has been accused of "tanking", verbal abuse, and unsportsmanlike conduct by the media and by former tennis players, including John McEnroe.[89] In 2019, the Associated Press described Kyrgios as "a volatile sort who repeatedly has gotten in trouble for on-court actions".[90] However, he is also known for his authenticity[91] and his individuality,[92] and has been described by three-time Wimbledon champion John Newcombe as an "exceptional talent" and "a real individual".[65]
"Tanking"
At the 2015 Wimbledon Championships, after he failed to return numerous serves, Kyrgios was accused of "tanking"—deliberately not playing up to his abilities—during the second set of his fourth-round loss to Richard Gasquet. Kyrgios was booed by the crowd for his perceived lack of effort, but denied the accusations, stating "of course I tried".[93]
He admitted in 2017 that he had "probably" tanked at eight tournaments during his professional career, because on certain days he’d "rather be doing something else than play tennis".[6]
Stan Wawrinka
During a match at the 2015 Rogers Cup, Kyrgios generated considerable controversy for insults he directed at his opponent, Stan Wawrinka. After a point, Kyrgios, speaking aloud but not directly to Wawrinka, said: "Kokkinakis banged your girlfriend. Sorry to tell you that, mate". Microphones also picked up Kyrgios saying under his breath that Wawrinka, 30, is "banging 18-year-olds".[94] After the match, Wawrinka stated he found the comments "unacceptable" and urged action to be taken against Kyrgios.[95]
Kyrgios was fined $13,127 and given suspended penalties of $32,818 and a 28-day ban, pending further breaches by the ATP, and claimed he apologised to Wawrinka,[96][97] though this was later denied by Wawrinka himself.[98] Nick's mother, Nill, shut down her Twitter account several hours after this incident after personal criticisms were levelled at her. Nill Kyrgios indicated that her son's insults had been made in retaliation. Nill claimed that Wawrinka accused her son of "faking an injury" during a previous match between the two players.[99]
Following a review, the ATP handed down a 28-day suspended sentence, to expire after six months. Kyrgios would also have received a $25,000 fine had he incurred a further fine for "verbal or physical abuse" during that six-month period.[100] At the same tournament he received a $3,281 fine for unsportsmanlike conduct for a comment he made to a ball person.[97]
Shanghai Rolex Masters
In October 2016 Kyrgios was fined $32,900 (on top of an earlier fine of $21,659—$13,127 for lack of effort, $6,563 for verbal abuse of a spectator, and $1,969 for unsportsmanlike conduct) and banned for eight weeks for 'lack of best efforts' against unseeded Mischa Zverev in the second round of the Shanghai Rolex Masters.[101] He threw the match 6–3, 6–1, in 48 minutes,[102] at one point asking the umpire, "Can you call time so I can finish this match and go home?"
When later asked during a press conference if he thought he owed the fans a better effort, he responded: "What does that even mean? I'm good at hitting a tennis ball at the net. Big deal. I don't owe them anything. If you don't like it, I didn't ask you to come watch. Just leave."[103]
Criticism from John McEnroe
American former professional tennis player John McEnroe has criticised Kyrgios's behaviour several times. Following his defeat at the hands of Andy Murray at the 2016 Wimbledon championships, McEnroe criticised his temperament, saying: "Kyrgios has to look in the mirror if he wants to become a top player and win Slams." He questioned his attitude towards the sport as Kyrgios was reportedly seen watching compatriot Lleyton Hewitt in a doubles match shortly before his match with Murray.[89]
Two months later and following his exit from the US Open, Kyrgios was subject to further criticism from McEnroe. He called on Kyrgios to retire from the sport, saying: "Nick Kyrgios, if you don't want to be a professional tennis player, do something else." The comments came shortly after his third round defeat by Illya Marchenko, in which he retired due to a hip injury. McEnroe commented: "He's hurt because he's not training enough."[104]
At the same time, McEnroe has praised the talent of Kyrgios. In late 2018 on the Nine Network's Sunday Night show in Australia, McEnroe said that Kyrgios is "the most talented player [he's] seen in the last ten years". McEnroe also stated at the same time that Kyrgios may "run himself out" if he continues to choose not to commit himself to tennis.[105][106]
Interest in tennis
Kyrgios has openly stated that he "does not love tennis" and has a greater interest in basketball.[107] He openly critiqued his dedication to the sport after his exit at the 2017 US Open to fellow Australian John Millman by stating that he is "not dedicated to the game at all" and "There are players out there that are more dedicated, that want to get better, that strive to get better every day, the one-percenters. I'm not that guy."[108]
Other fines
Kyrgios has also been warned and fined for various other instances of inappropriate behaviour. He was given three code violations for audible obscenities and racket-smashing at the 2014 US Open (one more would have disqualified him), fined $4,926 for audible obscenities and racket-smashing at the 2015 Australian Open, fined $12,470 for unsportsmanlike conduct and $2,625 for swearing at 2015 Wimbledon, fined $4,370 for swearing at the 2016 Australian Open (he also took a phone call while on court during a mixed doubles match), fined $6,200 for swearing at the 2016 French Open, and fined $8,690 for swearing at the 2016 Wimbledon.[97]
At the 2018 Queen's Club Championships, Kyrgios was issued a $17,500 fine after "miming masturbation with his water bottle" during a changeover in his semifinal match against Marin Čilić.[109][110][111]
At the 2019 Rome Masters, Kyrgios was defaulted from his second round encounter with Casper Ruud after swearing at a line judge, kicking a bottle, and hurling a chair onto court. Kyrgios was subsequently fined €20,000 and forfeited all prize money and points earned during the event, and was told to cover the costs of his hospitality.[112][113]
In June 2019, Kyrgios was assessed three fines totaling $17,500 for unsportsmanlike conduct at the 2019 Queen's Club Championships.[114]
Kyrgios was fined $113,000 for five separate incidents of unsportsmanlike conduct at the 2019 Cincinnati Masters tournament. During the second set Kyrgios felt that the shot clock - which counts down the time allowed between points – had been started too early, and he delivered an expletive-laden rant at umpire Fergus Murphy, stating the Irish umpire was "the worst, hands down". He then walked off court claiming he needed to use the restroom, but instead used the time to smash two racquets on the floor in a corridor. At the end of the match, Kyrgios told Murphy he was "a fucking tool", chose not to shake the official's hand, displayed a vulgar gesture, and appeared to spit at him.[115][116] The fine set an ATP record.[7]
Endorsements
Kyrgios at the 2015 Aegon Championships
Kyrgios has endorsement deals with several companies, including Yonex, Nike[117] and Beats. Bonds distanced itself from Kyrgios during his controversies of 2015.[118] Malaysia Airlines ended their partnership after Kyrgios was suspended and fined for tanking in 2016 Shanghai Rolex Masters.[119]
Kyrgios is the founding contributor of the athlete direct publishing website, PlayersVoice, and has also invested financially in the digital platform
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