'Never ask me that': Nick Kyrgios' cheeky press conference dig
Nick Kyrgios has never been shy to criticise journalists in his post game press conferences, but at Wimbledon the firebrand Aussie star appears to have turned over a new leaf.
The world No. 60 was able to topple Frenchman Ugo Humbert in a five-set arm-wrestle that was delayed overnight, eventually prevailing 6-4 4-6 3-6 6-1 9-7.
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When the match resumed at 3-3 in the fifth set following the 11pm cut-off the previous evening, Kyrgios had more on his plate than a determined Humbert.
The slick centre court surface at Wimbledon, which had caught out the likes of Serena Williams prior to Kyrgios' match, wasn't done throwing curveballs at competitors.
Kyrgios had what he would later describe as a 'brutal' fall, but was able to recover to win a tense fifth set.
When asked later on about how he had managed the slippery grass surface, Kyrgios joked that the journalist who asked him the question might have given him too much credit for his footwork.
“I’m a very interesting person to ask about movement,” he replied.
“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, and there are some dodgy grass courts in Australia.
“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.”
Kyrgios has been well and truly enjoying his time in England it seems, showing particular excitement about pairing up with Venus Williams in the mixed doubles tournament.
Prior to his match with Humbert resuming, Kyrgios could be overheard on court microphones discussing how much he wanted to return to the Dog and Fox - the infamous venue he was seen drinking at prior to his 2019 showdown with Rafael Nadal.
Nick Kyrgios overcomes 'brutal' fall to proceed at Wimbledon
After overcoming a nasty fall on the Court No.1 turf and rising like a heavyweight champ to win his epic battle with Frenchman Ugo Humbert on Wednesday, the irrepressible Kyrgios boomed: "With one leg, I was going to finish that match."
"Not bad for a part-time player," he couldn't resist joking with the cheering crowd.
The 26-year-old reckoned he'd been in agony overnight on Tuesday after the pair's match had been called off just before the 11pm cut-off when locked at 3-3 in the fifth because of the strain of playing his first match for nearly six months.
And after he'd slipped and taken a bad fall when the scores reached 6-6 on resumption, it looked momentarily as he writhed around the court that he might have to pull out, just as Serena Williams and Adrian Mannarino had done after tumbles the day earlier.
"I was always going to get up and play. I made it that far. I haven't been playing many tournaments. I'm here," he said.
"I'm like, 'Ah, going down' - it was pretty brutal. It hurt. My hip hurt.
"I just got back up and showed some resilience. Comes with age."
And real heart. Twice he found himself a couple of points away from defeat, yet just as in the pair's last magnificent five-set tussle in Melbourne at the Australian Open, Kyrgios just would not be denied, finally breaking Humbert to go into an 8-7 lead.
He then still had to repel two break points from the brilliant young French 21st seed before banging an unreturnable serve down the T for one of the most dramatic wins of even his astounding career.
With AAP
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