‘DON’T say that’: Nick Kyrgios’ VERY blunt message to his own box while frustrated star battled back during the first set in his Wimbledon quarter-final win over Cristian Garin
A frustrated Nick Kyrgios was far from impressed with his own team as the Australian overcame a sluggish start to take the first set of his Wimbledon quarter final on Wednesday.
Kyrgios, taking to the court for the first time since he was summoned to a Canberra court to face an assault charge, appeared distracted as he was swiftly broken by Cristian Garin in his first service game.
The 27-year-old was constantly talking to his coaching box throughout the opening stages of the first game, and according to BBC Sport’s Amy Lofthouse, Kyrgios was involved in a frosty exchange with his team.
Nick Kyrgios had a very blunt message for his own coaching team in his match on Wednesday
Kyrgios’ team tried to encourage him after a slow start against Cristian Garin (from left: sister, Halimah, manager Daniel Horsfall, physio Will Maher and girlfriend Costeen Hatzi)
The 27-year-old managed to battle through and take the opening set 6-4 in South West London
‘Come on, Kygs!’ his team called from the stands.
Kyrgios bluntly responded: ‘Don’t say that.’
The 27-year-old’s team consists of girlfriend Costeen Hatzi, his father Giorgos and sister Halimah, as well as his manager Daniel Horsfall and personal physio Will Maher.
The Australian managed to put the incident behind him as he moved to within one match from a place in the Wimbledon final after steaming past Garin in straight sets.
The controversial Australian, whose antics this fortnight have thrilled and appalled in equal measure, reached the last four of a grand slam for the first time with a commanding 6-4, 6-3, 7-6 (5) victory.
But after cruising past Garin – and armed with a 2-0 winning record over most likely final opponent Novak Djokovic – the self-styled bad boy of tennis might finally be about to come good.
He moved to within one match from a place in the Wimbledon final after steaming past Garin
‘I never thought I’d be in the semi-final of a grand slam,’ he said. ‘I didn’t go about things great early in my career and I thought my ship had sailed. I’m really proud of how went about things out here.’
His run to the semis may have been marred by run-ins with umpires, line judges, opponents, the media, the crowd and the fashion police.
But Kyrgios was on his best behaviour – relatively speaking – on Wednesday, even striding on to Court One in white trainers rather than his preferred red ones which breach the strict SW19 dress code.
Garin, the world number 43 from Chile, had never won a match at Wimbledon before but got a lucky break when his first-round opponent Matteo Berrettini, the eighth seed and among the favourites for title, withdrew due to Covid.
Kyrgios looked emotional as he gathered his thoughts in his chair after sealing the victory
The draw opened up invitingly for the 26-year-old, who comes from a country which does not even have any grass courts, but his luck ran out against Kyrgios.
Yet in a bizarre start to the match Garin won the first eight points to lead 2-0.
But Kyrgios, amid the constant chuntering and gesticulating towards his box, broke back for 3-3.
Kyrgios, again taking far longer between serves than he had in his fiery third-round win over Stefanos Tsitsipas, was then gifted the opening set by four unforced errors from his increasingly nervous looking opponent.
An early break in the second, to love, courtesy of more loose shots from Garin, put Kyrgios in complete control.
Garin, to his credit, proved a tough nut to crack in the third and took it the distance, and it would not be a Kyrgios match without the inevitable disputed line call – this time on match point – before a Garin forehand floated wide to rubber-stamp his opponent as a Wimbledon semi-finalist.
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