“None of my friends really knows me. “You don’t spend much time with me. You only see what’s happening on the court,” said the 27-year old Australian, who was due to play Rafael Nadal in Friday’s semi-finals at Wimbledon.
He explains that he tries to separate the moments. “Off the court I have a great time with my girlfriend and my team. Then when I get on the court I go into match mode.”
However, his life off the court was not typical of an elite athlete. This probably prevented him from having another track record, according to other players.
He had reached the quarters of his first Wimbledon in 2014 after beating Nadal in round 8. He had played only one Grand Slam quarterback since then (Australian Open 2015), and reached the semis this year.
“I was once picked up at 4 AM from a pub to play against Nadal in round two (of Wimbledon). My agent had to take me from the pub at 4:00 a.m. to get me to Center Court …”,, he said today, adding that he expected “to come back to afar”.
He lost this famous match in four sets, with two tie breaks. He was a teenager when he had suicidal thoughts.
Although he appears to have emerged from this dark period, he is still on the courts looking like a pressure cooker, ready to explode. As he did in his third round match against Stefanos Tisipas, where he turned the match into a “circus”, according the Greek. He described the Australian as “brute with a demonic side” at the end. The game was criticized by many, but Kyrgios isn’t bothered.
It makes me laugh. It’s so much fun. It’s a joke with my team. It’s hilarious. He comments, “I read things when my eyes open and it’s funny.” He can defend himself by telling the referee that his star is what people come to see. He has been playing peacefully since then.
“I feel good, serene, mature… I am blessed. He said that he feels good about himself, before facing Nadal, emphasizing his role in the small group of people who accompanies and supports him. Without a coach, because “I wouldn’t want to place this weight on anyone’s shoulders” and “nobody knows my tennis as much as I do”, but with his friend and physio, his agent, who are “his best friends”, and his “best girlfriend ever”.
This new sense of well-being is evident in his battle against Brandon Nakashima. He said after round 16: “It was probably the first time in all my career that even though I wasn’t playing very good, I managed to think to myself: Wow! Look at where you’ve been. You perform well mentally at Wimbledon. It was very satisfying.”
He is on the right track, although he will need to appear in Canberra court at the beginning August for assault. The man who sharpens its competitive mind playing basketball at home with guys who are dogs has not yet assimilated all codes of tennis and those of the traditional All England Lawn Tennis Club that imposes a nearly entirely white outfit.
He enters the court wearing red basketball shoes that he then replaces with tennis shoes before he plays. He says, “I do whatever I want.” “I don’t think I’m above the rules. I love to wear my Jordans. If I hear something, I will wear my white Jordans next time.
