It didn’t take long – just two games actually – but Nick Kyrgios was back to his best performance at the John Cain Arena at the Australian Open on Monday night [AEDT].
With a 0-2 break in the first set against Portuguese Frederico Ferreira Silva, Kyrgios turned his attention to his player’s box, exclaiming out loud: “Tell your girlfriend to get out of my box!”
It is not clear who exactly he was referring to, but it proved to be the catalyst for a quick turnaround in luck; Kyrgios quickly recovered and tied the game 2-2, then muttered under his breath, “Why is that?”
“Tell your girlfriend to get out of my box!” 😂
Add another classic Nick Kyrgios moment to the list. 🗒
TO SEE: @ Channel9
STREAM: https://t.co/ykPpc0k2wf# 9WWOS #AusOpen pic.twitter.com/ul2PWBlaFQ– Wide World of Sports (@wwos) February 8, 2021
From there, the Australian was on his way to take a 5-4 lead on the set before interrupting the procedure again, this time scolding a member of the crowd for speaking between his opponent’s first and second serves.
“Be quiet, bro, have a little respect for the boy,” said Kyrgios.
He approached the chairman after the game, asking out loud if he would do anything about it.
Kyrgios took the first set 6-4 and was rarely bothered by the rest of his encounter, occasionally offering himself some advice and at one point asking his opponent for an unused towel during a point exchange.
Kyrgios closed the game 6-4, 6-4, 6-4, but said he was far from playing his best tennis.
“Honestly, it was pretty average. I haven’t played a Grand Slam in over a year. I was nervous,” he said on the court after the victory.
“(But) it was special; I appreciate [the crowd for] going out. It was a strange year, and we all got through together to make it possible. It seemed normal, to be honest, it was good to see [the crowd was] going crazy “
Kyrgios faces Frenchman Ugo Humbert in the second round.