There is nothing in the world even close to watching Nick Kyrgios play at the John Cain Arena.
In a captivating, frantic and sometimes ridiculous three and a half hours, Kyrgios saved two match points, twice was ballistic on the net and even called chair referee Marijana Veljovic “brother”.
But in the end, he arguably posted his most impressive win at the Australian Open, knocking down number 29, seeded Ugo Humbert, in an incredible five-set seesaw thriller, 5-7, 6-4, 3-6 , 6-4, 6-4.
The arena, no more than half full due to audience restrictions at the Open, was rocking with volume levels not unlike years ago. For a brief period of a few hours, the pandemic was almost forgotten when Kyrgios – in his castle – put on a show fit for a king.
But it wasn’t all your way. At the start of the match, Kyrgios found himself frustrated and distracted by what appeared to be a faulty automatic network cable, which, if the Australian was believed, apparently stole several aces from him and Humbert.
“Turn that off. [Umbert’s] loosing so much, “Kyrgios told Veljovic in the first set, while gesturing to a 15cm gap with his hands.
“It’s ruining the game. Do you understand? You don’t understand. It’s ruining the game. How do you understand that?
“Hang up, bro. It’s so high off the net. I’m not going to play until you hang up. Even with his serve it’s so far away. It’s not just my serve.”
Although he threatened not to play a part in the game just once more, Kyrgios continued – but he seemed shaky and at times uninterested.
Humbert won the first set, but Kyrgios quickly hit to take the second. The crowd wanted him to leave.
But the 22-year-old Frenchman was not left behind; he began to overcome Kyrgios comprehensively, whose attention was waning. Humbert won the third set and had a break in the fourth, and even the home favorite didn’t see a way out.
“I’m done, I’m f — shit,” murmured Kyrgios after a set point.
But, as Kyrgios seems to do at his favorite stadium, he found another level. With his back against the wall at 4-5 and Humbert serving for the match, the Australian got an incredible back game, during which Humbert faced two match points. Ironically, Kyrgios secured the break back to 5-5 by skimming the net with a forehand that hit Humbert’s outstretched arm.
Kyrgios gave himself a sly smile, and from then on, the crowd’s noise barely subsided below a dull roar. The broadcast cameras were shaking, with no way of establishing a viable ground level shot.
The monster John Cain had woken up.
In scenes where tennis purists try to press the mute button, the crowd just doesn’t want to settle. There was a lively conversation between the first and second serve, Humbert’s failures were applauded and the chairman was forced to intervene constantly.
Kyrgios was taking it all in. This is what makes the arena such a difficult place for your opponents to play. It is an unmoderated experience to the point where Kyrgios gets away with a few bad words within the reach of the chairman Veljovic’s voice.
Kyrgios held on to his serve, as did Humbert, and then the Australian made one of the biggest tiebreakers of his career to tie the match in two sets each.
From then on, Kyrgios would not lose. Not with the surge of momentum the crowd was providing. Since last year’s tournament in Melbourne, tennis hadn’t seen – or heard – that much noise.
He broke Humbert at the start and maintained the service throughout the set, falling to his knees after securing a remarkable victory.
“If you were in my head, I would only be thinking about all the shit I would deal with if I missed that match,” said Kyrgios after the match. “I am speechless, it is one of the craziest games I have ever played.”
Kyrgios will face last year’s Australian Open finalist and current US Open champion Dominic Thiem in the third round on Friday.