Nick Kyrgios has made the stunning confession that he had to be removed from a pub at 4am on the day of his 2019 loss to Rafael Nadal at Wimbledon – and said the episode proved how much he has grown on and off the court.
The Australian won through to his first Grand Slam quarter final in seven years by beating Brandon Nakashima on Tuesday night and reflected on how different his preparation was three years ago compared to this year’s tournament.
‘I sit here now in the quarter-finals of Wimbledon again, and I just know there’s so many people that are so upset,’ he said in the post-match press conference.
‘I just feel like I’ve been through so much. I feel like I’m able to stay more composed.’
Nick Kyrgios celebrates after defeating Brandon Nakashima at Wimbledon overnight
Kyrgios came to the attention of world tennis when he defeated Rafael Nadal as a 19-year-old at Wimbledon in 2014, but the Spanish legend turned the tables five years later.
The star Aussie said he was proud of how far he’d grown since the moment.
‘My agent had to come to force me out of a pub at 4am to play Nadal, second round, on Centre Court, Wimbledon. I’ve come a long way, that’s for sure,’ said Kyrgios.
‘I’ve got an incredible support crew. My physio is one of my best friends. My best friend is my agent. I’ve got the best girlfriend in the world. I’ve just got so many people around me, they just support me.’
Nick Kyrgios gestures to the crowd after defeating Brandon Nakashima and getting through to his first Grand Slam quarter final for seven years
The incident, in 2019, also led to a hilarious exchange with a female reporter.
Lucia Hoffman, a journalist for Inside Tennis magazine, asked Kyrgios whether he might have performed better against Nadal if he hadn’t have been at the Dog and Fox pub, and he took great delight in pointing out he recognised her at his post-match press conference.
‘You were at the pub last night!’ pointing at Hoffman, who replied by saying: ‘Oh yes, I know,’ much to the delight of everyone else at the press conference.
She then joked, ‘You are ruining my reputation!’ to which Kyrgios smoothly retorted, ‘OK, OK, that’s hilarious.’
Nick Kyrgios (right) kisses tennis journalist Lucia Hoffman (left) in 2019. She busted him for being in the pub before his match against Nadal in a hilarious press conference moment
It’s a safe bet Kyrgios isn’t downing shots at a pub near Wimbledon during this year’s tournament, where he’s played some brilliant tennis
Nick Kyrgios wasn’t impressed with some of the questions at his press conference overnight – especially ones about his dress sense
After his impressive win over Nakashima, during which he overcame a minor shoulder injury, Kyrgios credited his support team for helping him grow from moments like those.
‘I feel like I can reflect on all those dark times when I pushed them all away. Now to sit here in the quarterfinals of Wimbledon, feeling good, feeling composed, feeling mature, having that around me, I’m extremely blessed,’ he said after the match.
However, he was angry with being asked about breaking the tournament’s all-white dress code before and after the win, by wearing red trainers and a red baseball cap.
‘I do what I want. I’m not above the rules, I just like wearing my Jordans (trainers),’ he said.
‘It’s more attention for me. What’s that saying? Any publicity is good publicity, right?’
The win sets up a quarter-final match-up against Chile’s Cristian Garin, who defeated Kyrgios’ compatriot Alex de Minaur in a five-se epic.
Nick Kyrgios serves in his four-set win over Brandon Nakashima
Kyrgios said he was disappointed for de Minaur, but excited for what he could achieve in the rest of the tournament.
‘I was really excited to play de Minaur, to be honest. He has been flying the Aussie flag for so long. I came on court when he was two sets up, so I was expecting to play him, but I’m not even thinking about that,’ he said.
‘I need a glass of wine for sure tonight, for sure! I stepped out here against one of the greatest of all time and beat him (the 2014 win over Nadal). These are all things I had in the back of my mind.’
Nick Kyrgios gets ready to give an interview after his win over Brandon Nakashima
Kyrgios will enjoy a day off before taking on Garin in the quarter-finals on Wednesday night, AEST.
Tonight’s quarter-finals will see Novak Djokovic take on Jannik Sinner and David Goffin play British underdog Cameron Norrie.