Australian Open 2021: Burning questions after Nick Kyrgios defeated in five-set thriller by Dominic Thiem
Does Nick Kyrgios care about winning? How big is his heart? What next after his loss to Dominic Thiem? Marc McGowan answers the burning questions.
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Another Australian Open singles campaign has come to an end for the ever-captivating Nick Kyrgios.
There was the usual outrageous shot-making, verbal tirades, at-times questionable behaviour and pure entertainment that only the Kyrgios package can provide.
Yes, Nick, we were entertained.
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The Open will be worse off for his exit, because his victory over Ugo Humbert on Wednesday night breathed life into a tournament badly in need of it – but many questions remain.
WAS KYRGIOS’ 2021 AUSTRALIAN OPEN A SUCCESS?
In short, yes. He said himself he didn’t see this week “as an achievement”, but as the world No.47 he had to face consecutive seeded opponents in rounds two and three and managed to split five-set matches. With a better or different draw, Kyrgios was clearly playing well enough to go deeper in the tournament. But his tick was based on how he performed against quality opposition. Against 25th seed Ugo Humbert, Kyrgios saved two match points and rallied from a break down in the fourth set with some dogged defence he’s not typically associated with. His ability to dig deep, turn the tide, then produce some breathtaking tennis was incredibly impressive. Part of Kyrgios’ mindset, as revealed post-match, was he had the chance to be part of “one of the most memorable matches of your career”. Kyrgios gave up a two-sets-to-love lead over world No.3 Dominic Thiem, but fought out the match well and was beaten by a better opponent. He’ll hopefully be seeded at next year’s Australian Open.
HOW BIG IS KYRGIOS’ HEART?
Off court, it’s clear the Canberran cares about making a difference with his gigantic platform, from organising meal kits, to his foundation, spending time with kids and people with a disability, and putting COVID-iots on notice. This question is more based on Kyrgios’ on-court deeds. After both the Humbert and Thiem matches, he referenced his heart – the first time in a none-too-subtle shot at his critics. The second was in response to a question about what he learned about himself: “That I have a big heart.” Some people will take that with a grain of salt, but there’s no arguing with the fact he rolled up his sleeves and went to work this week. It meant something to him to put on a good show on the people’s court, John Cain Arena.
DOES KYRGIOS CARE ABOUT WINNING?
Of course he does, and that much was clear in the Humbert triumph. You don’t recover from his situation in that contest to win unless you care, and Kyrgios often states how competitive he is. At the same time, nothing about his comments this week suggest he’s about to hire a coach or put in more hours on the practice court. Kyrgios does it his way and he’s pretty successful doing it, but becoming more dedicated away from matches is how he will maximise his potential – and he knows that. There were other comments about it “being just a tennis match” and how he hadn’t “missed the sport at all” in his 11 months away. It’s clear Kyrgios won’t ever do everything possible to succeed – that’s not to say he doesn’t try or work hard – and everyone else is just going to have to be OK with that.
WHAT SHOULD WE MAKE OF HIS BLOW-UPS?
Kyrgios is an emotional guy who wears his heart on his sleeve. He trashed some racquets and there’s always a small margin between his positive and negative energy. Kyrgios was particularly upset about the sensitivity on the net sensor during his win over Ugo Humbert, which led to constant let calls that he felt were wrong. The colourful language and intimidating way he communicated that to chair umpire Marijana Veljovic wasn’t a good look. Kyrgios also took aim at chair umpire Damien Dumusois a couple of times in the Dominic Thiem loss. He raged about Dumusois turning the shot clock on too early after he conceded the decisive break in the seventh game of the fifth set. We all know what that was really about. Earlier, Kyrgios disputed his hindrance call for yelling “sit” as his ball sailed perilously close to the line. Dumusois made the right call, but Kyrgios wondered aloud why the same doesn’t apply to dual Australian Open champion Victoria Azarenka’s grunts.
WHERE DOES KYRGIOS GO IN THOSE DARK MOMENTS?
It’s a scary thought. The negative media coverage he’s received over the years clearly hurts him and he likes to create a narrative that he’s hard done by, which has merit on occasion. There are people who will bash him regardless of what he does, and without considering the good he does on and off court. But Kyrgios also needs to acknowledge why he’s found himself in this position. His close confidantes will tell you he reads everything, which was underlined when he revealed after the Humbert win that, if he lost, he was preparing to “go to my Airbnb and just read about it and take it all in. Take all the negativity in that I have already taken”. Kyrgios is a complex character, but not many of us can relate to his experiences in the public spotlight from such a tender age.
WHAT’S NEXT FOR KYRGIOS?
The man himself says not even he knows yet. In fact, Kyrgios reckons he doesn’t know which tournaments are coming up. That’s a bit far-fetched to believe, but he may well still be weighing up how often he plays this year. Kyrgios gets homesick at the best of times, let alone during the COVID-19 era, where quarantining, lockdowns and bubbles are a way of life. He didn’t return with the majority of the players when the tour resumed in late August, hence 11 months passing between matches for him. It’s hard to imagine Kyrgios will play anywhere close to a full schedule, but it’d be great to see him out there enough to get his ranking back inside the top 30 by season’s end.
WHY KYRGIOS FINDS NO SHAME IN DEFEAT
Nick Kyrgios has emerged from his heartbreaking Australian Open defeat from two sets up proud of his efforts to go “toe to toe” with US Open champion Dominic Thiem.
Thiem staged a remarkable comeback to knock Kyrgios out of title contention on Friday night and keep alive his chances of bettering his runner-up finish from last year.
The Austrian third seed was on the brink of defeat when facing back-to-back break points to start the third set, with Kyrgios having whipped the John Cain Arena crowd into a frenzy.
That’s when the match took a dramatic detour, eventually ending in a brilliant 4-6 4-6 6-3 6-4 4-3 triumph that only enhanced Thiem’s reputation across almost three-and-a-half hours.
A magnificent backhand strike for a winner on his first match point sealed his passage to round four, where he faces Grigor Dimitrov for a quarter-final spot.
The result came only two nights after Kyrgios mounted his own comeback to beat Frenchman Ugo Humbert in a five-set thriller.
Asked what he had learned about himself, the 25-year-old responded: “That I have a big heart.”
“I’m pretty proud of myself. I was going through a lot during the year, and I was pretty proud the way I prepared. I was really, really, really happy with the way I played,” Kyrgios said.
“I mean, my perspective – look, I lost that match. As soon as I lost, I wasn’t upset. I was smiling, I was happy for him. He’s put in a lot of work, the body of work, the foundation he’s put in.
“He’s rewarded for it. I’m happy for it. I’m not a jealous or envious person. So I lose, I’ll live on tomorrow. That’s just how I look at it.
“I don’t look at this week as an achievement or anything. I had a lot of good memories. It is what it is.”
It’s the fourth time Thiem has rallied from two sets down to win at a grand slam, including in last year’s US Open final against Alex Zverev.
“Honestly, I was dealing with the loss already,” Thiem said.
“But then, somehow, I was fighting myself in the match, and since the US Open, I know that impossible is nothing.”
That pivotal opening game of the third set was exacerbated when Thiem finally broke Kyrgios in the next game to pave the way for the fightback.
Kyrgios began pleading with the chair umpire in the fourth set to silence the crowd, in his first signs of mental vulnerability.
The Australian managed to hang on until four-all, but his maddening decision to try a ‘tweener while holding game point – and having already saved two break points – proved fateful.
Thiem cracked a forehand winner soon after to break for 5-4, then booked a fifth set.
Kyrgios tried to re-energise himself and the crowd at the start of the decider, but Thiem was a man on a mission and scored the decisive break in the seventh game.
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