Nick Kyrgios, in semifinals at Citi Open, cut from a different piece of cloth
WASHINGTON -- Nick Kyrgios is best known for blasting serves, for unnecessary but exhilarating tweeners and for aggressive play on the court. He’s as much entertainer as tennis player, and the combination has made him a star.
At the Citi Open in Washington D.C. this week, Kyrgios has done a bit of all that. He walks a tight line between fun and foolhardiness. On Wednesday, in a match against Gilles Simon, his frustration boiled over. He launched a ball out of the stadium, he smashed his racket on the ground three times before handing the souvenir — albeit bent and broken — to a kid in the stands, and he called the chair umpire a “potato with legs and arms.”
Kyrgios still won. And he’s continued to win at the Citi Open, booking a matchup against No. 1 seed Stefanos Tsitsipas on Saturday in the semifinal. The trick shots are still there, he’s still having fun and firing up the crowd, but Kyrgios has struck the right balance this week, making his deepest run in a tournament since early March.
“The crowd’s been awesome, the atmosphere’s been awesome,” Kyrgios said. “I’m just happy I’ve been able to produce some good tennis. You know, I’ve competed four days in a row, going out there and enjoying myself.”
Kyrgios’ unique style — he doesn’t have a coach, tends to practice lightly and is largely unfiltered with his opinion — differs from Tsitsipas’. The 20-year-old Greek, who will rank No. 5 in the world after his run at the Rock Creek Park Tennis Center, paired up with Kyrgios for a first-round doubles matchup Monday.
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The duo had fun together despite the loss, morphing a relationship that involved Kyrgios mostly “bantering and trolling” Tsitsipas in the past to a blossoming doubles partnership. They’ll play together again at the Cincinnati Open later this month.
During a joint press conference after Monday’s match, Tsitsipas pondered what he’d learned about Kyrgios from playing with the No. 52-ranked player.
“Talent is there, it’s just …” Tsitsipas said, trailing off for a moment.
“It’s mental,” Kyrgios finished for him. “I’m crazy. It’s fine, you can say it.”
Kyrgios won’t be hiring Tsitsipas’ father as his own coach “anytime soon,” especially after surviving the extensive practice session with Tsitsipas on Monday, which turned into more work than Kyrgios initially anticipated.
“He’s definitely cut from a different piece of cloth than I am,” Kyrgios said. “But I guess that just shows how hard he works. He’s out there every day, super professional, putting in the hours. It’s obviously why he’s good. You can see how polished his game is when he’s playing. And again, he just goes about it differently.”
But Kyrgios has flashed his own skillset consistently at the Citi Open, mixing in finesse shots among his usual firepower. He’s crushed at least 15 aces in all four singles matches this week, with 24 against Simon.
And while he declined to shake the umpire’s hand after Wednesday’s match, Kyrgios has spent plenty of time with a smile on his face. He asked a fan in the crowd Friday where he should hit his match point serve. After his ace, winning the match, he ran over and gave her a hug.
“It’s just a matter of not dealing well with frustration and his nerves,” Tsitsipas said Friday. “But that’s who he is. Everybody’s different.”
Midway through the second set Friday, Kyrgios showed off his mobility. He lunged right, sprinted left and darted to the net, winning a point and drawing a large cheer from the Stadium Court crowd. Kyrgios leapt back to his feet and clenched his fists, feeding off the crowd’s excitement.
The 24-year-old has bundles of talent. It's more a question of consistently making use of it.
“That’s why I play. I want to be able to put myself in that position as much as possible,” Kyrgios said. “I’m working off the court to be more consistent, and hopefully if I keep working I can produce moments like that more often. But I was so amped after that point, like, I just wanted to rip my shirt off. I felt like a beast.”