‘Never ask me that again’: Nick Kyrgios gives blunt reply to journo

Nick Kyrgios has elaborated on a problem causing Wimbledon plenty of grief while issuing a brutally honest answer to a reporter.

Nick Kyrgios has addressed Wimbledon’s slippery court storm while jokingly suggesting he’s the wrong person to ask about “movement” on any surface because it’s hardly his game’s biggest strength.

The Australian suffered a scary fall during his 6-4 4-6 3-6 6-1 9-7 win over 21st seed Ugo Humbert on Thursday morning (AEST) when the match restarted after being suspended the night before midway through the fifth set because of the All England Club’s 11pm curfew.

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Kyrgios cried out in agony and there were fears he wouldn’t be able to continue but he managed to get back to his feet and soldier on.

The incident was the latest in a string of falls that have rocked the grand slam in the opening week. Adrian Mannarino retired against Roger Federer after taking a nasty tumble and Serena Williams lost her footing and had to quit — while multiple players spoke out about how the courts are much more slippery this year than in the past.

Asked by a reporter about “movement” and how important it is for him to feel secure in his footing, Kyrgios said growing up on grass in Australia gives him an advantage but admitted he doesn’t exactly have the best footwork on tour.

“I’m a very interesting person to ask about movement,” Kyrgios said with a smile in his post-match press conference.

“I definitely think being Australian growing up on the grass helps. I played a lot of grass court matches when I was a junior … I developed my grass court game early.

“My instincts on grass are quite good … for me it kind of comes naturally.”

Kyrgios added: “To be honest, I have shocking footwork. Probably should never ask me that question ever again. That’s more like a Diego Schwartzman type thing I think, but I think for me it comes more naturally.

“I’m not the most flexible bloke so any time my legs spread a little bit apart I’m like, ‘Ahh’.

“Going down, it was pretty brutal. It hurt, my hip hurt. But I got back up and showed some resilience, coming with age.”

Kyrgios is no gymnast.

Thankfully the Aussie was able to keep going.

Asked to elaborate on whether the constant slipping has been a talking point within the locker room at Wimbledon, Kyrgios said it’s unfortunate but comes with the territory of playing on such a unique surface.

“I don’t think the rain helps, especially the outside courts when it gets slippery and a bit unpredictable,” Kyrgios said.

“It’s just sometimes what happens on the grass. I think the game’s evolved now where there’s so many rallies and players are so capable of making so many returns or that extra ball where the body’s actually not supposed to be in those positions and then people slip over and injuries happen.

“The load as well. These players have played a lot of matches and the tennis schedule is brutal, it’s absolutely brutal. You’ve got the French Open (in May and June), then you’re on the grass and you’re just expected to bring out you best tennis from week to week.

“I don’t know if there’s a solution but it just is what it is on the grass … the grass has got that unpredictable factor that there’s no guarantee any time you go out there that you could be injured.”

Kyrgios became the latest player to hit the deck.

Wimbledon released a statement defending its courts after the dramatic series of incidents.

“Each grass court is checked by the grand slam supervisors, Referee’s Office and Grounds team ahead of play commencing, and on both days of the fortnight they have been happy with the conditions and cleared the courts for play,” officials said.

“The weather conditions on the opening two days have been the wettest we have experienced in almost a decade, which has required the roof to be closed on Centre Court and No. 1 Court for long periods. This is at a time when the grass plant is at its most lush and green, which does result in additional moisture on what is a natural surface.”