Nick Kyrgios, the infamous ‘clown for the circus’, is also a travelling theatre of tennis. But the play was put on hold as he did not want ...
Nick Kyrgios, the infamous ‘clown for the circus’, is also a travelling theatre of tennis. But the play was put on hold as he did not want to travel during the coronavirus pandemic. He became, in his own words, ‘a part-time player.’
Yet when it came to Wimbledon, the fabled stage where he made his first major bow as a teen prodigy, even the irreverent Aussie couldn’t resist getting on a plane. Fittingly, his comeback at the All England Club was a long-drawn, two-day, five-set match that showed that there’s nothing part-time about the talent he possesses.
The 26-year-old’s last singles match win, almost five months ago at the Australian Open, was a five-set rollercoaster against a seeded Ugo Humbert. In a twist of fate, his opening match at Wimbledon was against the same opponent, now highly-rated and a recent grass-court champion.
But once again, it was the flair of the unseeded Kyrgios that triumphed over form as he knocked out the 21th seed and Halle champion in a dramatic encounter that ended in extra time. The world No 60 won 6-4, 4-6, 3-6, 6-1, 9-7 in a match held over from Tuesday evening when the final set was tantalisingly poised at 3-3 in the...
