Nick Kyrgios’ time to win a grand slam is not now, but it is not far away, writes Matt Windley

NICK Kyrgios put on a show of epic proportions on Rod Laver Arena on Sunday night. And while there was the usual mix of drama and smiles, one thing was clear — his grand slam time is coming.

Nick Kyrgios produced plenty of highlights on Sunday. Picture: Getty Images

AT 10.35pm when Nick Kyrgios was preparing to serve for the third set, sections of the 15,000 crowd found themselves singing along to Jon Bon Jovi’s “Living on a Prayer”.

It was apt.

The pro-Kyrgios crowd needed all of their prayers answered when their young tyro fell two-sets-to-love down in what was an utterly enthralling fourth round match.

Grigor Dimitrov had never lost from two sets up.

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And Kyrgios had only twice come back from this deficit.

But all of two minutes later they had more than a prayer, they had hope.

Kyrgios had just smashed his way to the third set on the back of his most imperious service game yet — and there had been many already in the two-and-a-half hour old match.

He went to the chair with all the momentum and, despite being a set down, he also went to the break having won more points for the match — 114-112.

Nick Kyrgios produced plenty of highlights on Sunday.

That’s how close this was.

An hour or so earlier “naughty Nick” had threatened to bubble to the surface.

Is it still a thing that you can’t have certain stuff on TV before 9.30pm?

If so, Kyrgios was timing his run nicely because it was around then that he really wanted to lose it.

It wasn’t X-rated by Kyrgios standards, but on a scale of calm to apoplectic he was flustered.

Good players like Dimitrov only need the slightest of openings and Kyrgios provided that with a lax seventh game of the second set to give away a break.

He had been muttering at himself and his box for a while, but this prompted a full outburst.

Was this the beginning of the end?

There had been small signs earlier. A flexing of his left knee here, complaining about racquet tension and foot faults there.

But largely the match had been played in good spirits.

Nick Kyrgios was pumped against Grigor Dimitrov.

“Nice Nick” even came out early on when he cut through the silence to complement a sublime Dimitrov backhand winner with “great shot”.

The stunned stench of death hung in the air at 11.15pm when Kyrgios inexplicably catapulted the simplest of smashes into the net, handing Dimitrov a break and the chance to serve for the match.

But Kyrgios never does anything conventionally.

So should anyone have been surprised that that was then followed by another break back?

Ultimately he would go down.

But boy did he entertain.

January has seen Kyrgios win back many admirers.

He’s been great on court, winning in Brisbane, while his demeanour has smacked of a 22-year-old starting to mature from boy to man.

Nick Kyrgios embraces Grigor Dimitrov after the match. Picture: AFP PHOTO

There were antics again last night, sure, but nothing that should detract from what was three-and-a-half hours of outrageous tennis.

That he kept his head up — exactly as one fan told him to do midway through the third set — will also not have gone unnoticed.

And while Kyrgios’ time at the Australian Open is not now, last night against demonstrated that it is not far away.