Wimbledon quarterfinals results: Nick Kyrgios def Cristian Garin to reach semis, reaction
Nick Kyrgios is in a Wimbledon semi-final – but he never thought the day would come. After the win over Cristian Garin, he opened up on everyone’s doubts, including his own.
Tennis
Don't miss out on the headlines from Tennis. Followed categories will be added to My News.
Even Nick Kyrgios thought this day might never come.
For all his bragging about how great he thinks he is, no-one has doubted Kyrgios more than himself.
No-one has ever questioned his talent, because he’s always had an abundance of that.
What’s really held Kyrgios back for so long are the demons inside his mind.
Not any more.
He might be full of rage when he’s on the tennis court but he’s never been calmer in his life, and it’s bringing him unprecedented success.
In the first moments after he sealed his place in the Wimbledon semi-finals with an emphatic straight sets win over Cristian Garin, there were no wild celebrations or chest pumping.
Instead, he simply sat down on his chair, quietly reflecting on what he’d just achieved after becoming the first Australian man in 17 years to reach the Wimbledon semis.
Watch Tennis Live with beIN SPORTS on Kayo. Live Coverage of ATP + WTA Tour Tournaments including Every Finals Match. New to Kayo? Start your free trial now >
“I never thought that I would be here. The ship, I thought, was gone, especially where I was a couple years ago,” he said.
“There was a point where I was almost done with the sport. Obviously I posted this year about the kind of mental state I was in in 2019 when I was at the Australian Open with self-harm and suicidal thoughts and stuff.
“I’m sitting there today after the match... to be a semi-finalist at Wimbledon, it’s a special accomplishment for everyone, but I think especially for me.
“If you asked anyone if I was able to do that the last couple years, I think everyone would have probably said, ‘no, he doesn’t have the mental capacity, he doesn’t have the fitness capacity, he doesn’t have the discipline,’ all that.
“I almost started doubting myself with all that traffic coming in and out of my mind.
“I just sat there today and soaked it all in. There’s just so many people I want to thank. At the same time I feel like I don’t want to stop here either.”
The road is even tougher.
To make the final, Kyrgois will have to beat Rafa Nadal, the all-time grand slam leader. If he wins that, he’ll probably have to play Novak Djokovic, who has already won Wimbledon six times.
No matter what happens, Kyrgios will remain a divisive figure because of his crude on-court behaviour, insulting anyone and everyone he likes without ever taking any responsibility.
By his own admission, he’s also been a wasted talent, a player with such rare gifts that he could have been anything.
Yet, until this week, his biggest achievement in a decade of playing grand slams was a solitary quarter-final place at Wimbledon in 2014.
He’s been labelled a choker and a quitter, but he gave a rare and deeply personal insight into what he’s been dealing with in private when he opened up about his battles with depression earlier this year.
He revealed that not only had he felt lonely and depressed but he had been abusing alcohol and drugs and experienced suicidal thoughts, leading him to self-harming.
After winning the biggest match of his life, Kyrgios again addressed his darkest days.
“At the start of the year, I didn’t even know if I wanted to really play like a proper schedule at all. I don’t really play a proper schedule now,” he said.
“I obviously had thoughts the last year and a half, whether I wanted to play anymore. Lost the love, lost the fire, lost the spark.
“Then some things just changed in my life. I don’t know. I kind of just rediscovered that I’ve got a lot of people that want me to play, that I play for. I’ve got a lot left in the tank. I feel like I’m probably playing some of my best tennis, mentally feeling great.
“It’s been a long road. I think it was a seven, eight-year gap to make a quarter-final here from my first one. It’s been a heck of a ride.”
Part of the reason, at least he thinks, is that he’s finally starting to mature.
He’s still just as feisty on the court - he’s incurred more than $20,000 in fines at the All England club this year for misbehaving in matches - but he’s physically and mentally fitter than ever and clear about what he wants.
“I think everyone has the same goal in my team. That’s why it’s working,” he said.
“We all know what we’ve come here to do. I made it pretty known to them that I wanted to go pretty deep here and possibly even raise the trophy.”
Kyrgios defies controversy to surge into Wimbledon semis
Tennis bad boy Nick Kyrgios has won the biggest match of his career so far.
As unlikely as it once seemed, the highly strung Australian who has divided the sport is now through to the semi-finals at Wimbledon.
He sealed his place in the last four on Wednesday with a 6-4 6-3 7-6 demolition job over Cristian Garin, a Chilean baseliner who is more comfortable on red clay than green grass.
Kyrgios will now face Rafa Nadal on Friday for a spot in the final after the Spanish legend wore down Taylor Fritz 3-6 7-5 3-6 7-5 7-6.
The fast surface suits Kyrgios’ game to a tee though and there’s no reason why he can’t keep going – possibly all the way to winning the biggest prize in tennis.
“An amazing atmosphere again,” Kyrgios said.
“I never thought I’d be in the semi-final of a Grand Slam. I thought that ship had sailed – that I may have wasted that window in my career.
“Really happy I was able to come out here with my team and able to put on a performance.”
Long regarded as a wasted talent, Kyrgios is playing out of his skin this year, channelling all his fury and anger at the world into his game.
It hasn’t been pretty. Truth be told, his behaviour has been revolting and he’s lucky he’s been allowed to keep playing after the way he’s trashed the sport’s values at the hallowed home of tennis.
He’s spat at spectators, argued bitterly with his opponents, abused match officials and sworn repeatedly – dropping f-bombs that can be heard by children watching his matches from the stands and on television.
And now he’s been summonsed to face a Canberra court over an alleged assault involving a former girlfriend.
Not that any of this seems to faze him in the slightest. If anything, Kyrgios is revelling in all the salacious attention he’s receiving.
He’s just become the first Australian man in 17 years to make the semi-finals of any grand slam.
The last Aussie bloke to get this far was tennis ace Lleyton Hewitt who made the last four at the Australian Open, Wimbledon and US Open in 2005.
Hewitt was a hot-blooded player himself, regularly pushing the limits when he was court, but his antics were mild by comparison to Kyrgios, who doesn’t have a coach so marches the beat of his own drum.
“I don’t have a coach, I would never put that burden on someone! Each and every one of my team plays a very important role,” he said.
“No one knows my tennis more than I do. I’ve been playing this sport since I was seven and I’m very happy.
“I felt I was playing on the back foot a lot. Garin’s a hell of a player. Got lucky on a couple of break points so I’ll take that and will prepare for my next match.”
By his usual standards, Kyrgios was relatively well behaved against Garin. That’s also when he plays his best.
He still swore plenty and whined constantly to the officials, but his play was composed, even after he stumbled out of the blocks, losing the first nine points of the match.
It’s a crude tactic which his critics say is a form of cheating because it’s designed to put his opponents off their game.
But it works and tennis fans either hate him or love him for it.
It wasn’t the reason he beat Garin though. He won because he was just too good.
The Latin American had spent more than four and a half hours on court to win his fourth round match against Australia’s Alex de Minaur and was exhausted.
He was no match for Kyrgios, whose serve is among the best in the game and he pounded 17 aces during the one-sided contest.
The last Aussie bloke to get this far was tennis ace Lleyton Hewitt who made the last four at the Australian Open, Wimbledon and US Open in 2005.
His semi-final opponent will be either Rafa Nadal or Taylor Fritz – who were tied at one-set all in their centre court clash, the legendary Spaniard calling a medical time-out and struggling with his serve.
FIRST SET: KYRGIOS WINS 6-4
Nick Kyrgios has recovered from a shocking start to the biggest match of his life to win the opening set of his quarter-final at Wimbledon.
Facing Chile’s Cristian Garin for a place in the semis – Kyrgios stumbled out of the blocks, losing the first nine points of the contest, including his opening service game to love.
When he finally won a point – in the third game – the court one crowd gave him a rousing cheer that did little to improve his foul mood.
It didn’t take Kyrgios long before he began swearing at the crowd and ranting at the chair umpire at everything that didn’t go his way – not just when was sitting down between games but also after points on court.
It’s a crude tactic which his critics say is designed to put his opponents off their game – and spectators either hate or love his tantrums.
It did work though because Kyrgios broke Garin’s serve in the sixth game to level the set up a 3-3 then broke him again to clinch the opening set 6-4 after 37 minutes.
Although he has never made a grand semi in his career, Kyrgios is an overwhelming favourite to do it this time by beating Garin after the Latin American spent more than four and a half hours on court to win his fourth round match against Australia’s Alex de Minaur.
The winner of the quarter-final will play either Rafa Nadal or American Taylor Fritz in the semis.
Fritz reeled off five games in a row to take the opening set against the Spanish legend but Nadal got an early break back in the second.
Roger Federer’s letter to Nadal goes viral
Roger Federer has left the tennis world in tears after penning a heartfelt letter to longtime friend and on court rival Rafael Nadal.
‘I have left a legacy’: Rafa bids final farewell
The undisputed ‘King of Clay’, 22-time grand slam winner and all-time great Rafael Nadal has played his final professional tennis match at age 38. His most memorable Grand Slam finals recounted here.