Australian Open tennis: Murray says Nick Kyrgios is dangerous

ANDY Murray would never wear a jewel-encrusted earring or shave lines in his eyebrows and hair.

Nick Kyrgios poses for a photo with a fan on his way to practice on Australia Day, the day after his epic, come-from-behind win against Andreas Seppi.

ANDY Murray would never wear a jewel-encrusted earring or shave lines in his eyebrows and hair. Nor, at the age of 19, would he have speculated that he was ready to win a grand-slam event.

He is, however, about to face a man who has not only done all that, but told the Australian public about it. The Scot’s immediate challenge is to stop the precocious, brash, fearless and growing phenomenon that is Nick Kyrgios.

The Australian has not yet played on Rod Laver Arena, but tournament director Craig Tiley has guaranteed that his quarter-final against Murray will be tonight’s prime-time event.

As befitting a committed extrovert, Kyrgios, who is playing in his seventh grand-slam event compared with Murray’s 36th, fancies his chances of beating the Scot and going all the way to the final.

“I definitely believe I can do it because I know what to expect now,” he said.

Kyrgios is building on the reputation that he established by beating Rafael Nadal at Wimbledon last year.

After fighting for three hours and 34 minutes to overcome Andreas Seppi, the Italian who two days earlier had sent Roger Federer packing, he said: “Honestly, this one feels a bit better. It’s just massive, especially to do it in front of your home crowd.”

There has not been an Australian in the quarter-finals of the men’s singles here since Lleyton Hewitt in 2005, and Kyrgios had to come from two sets down before winning 5-7 4-6 6-3 7-6 8-6. He has played Murray once before, in Toronto last August, when he managed to win four games as Murray defeated him in straight sets.

However, that match was played in a near-deserted stadium court, whereas 15,000 ardent Australians are expected for the rematch.

“Hopefully there will be a few people supporting me,” Murray said. “The crowd will be right behind him, and understandably so. That’s just something that I’ll have to deal with.”

Murray acknowledges that his job is to kill off Australian hopes, the host nation having not had a men’s champion since Mark Edmondson 39 years ago.

“I’m not planning on trying to break anybody’s hearts,” he said. “This is tennis. This is sport. All I’m trying to do is beat the guy on the other side of the net.

“He’s dangerous. He’s unpredictable, entertaining, a good athlete who moves well and is explosive on the court. So he’s got a lot of things going for him.”

THE TIMES