Nick Kyrgios - The break doesn't come a minute too soon
Nick Kyrgios was eliminated in the semifinals of the ATP Tour 250 tournament on Saturday. And in his defeat against Reilly Opelka he showed himself from a bad side again.
by Jens Huiber
last edit: Apr 10, 2022, 05:00 pm
Nick Kyrgios will now take a break. And only return to professional tennis for the ATP Tour 250 tournament in Stuttgart. And that's just as well. Because Kyrgios showed little or no ambition in his semifinals in Houston against Reilly Opelka to give the local hero a competitive match. Yes, Kyrgios managed a rebreak in the second set. However, Opelka gave him more than the fact that the Australian applied aggressively for it.
But as expected and as demonstrated again and again in the match against Jannik Sinner in Miami: As soon as things don't go according to plan or Kyrgios doesn't feel himself - which often goes hand in hand - he reacts to the chair referee. Which in Houston led to Opelka getting the decisive break because Kyrgios received a penalty point for a verbal slip. Once again.
Kyrgios loses in doubles with Sock
Overall, the appearance in Houston came as a surprise anyway, originally Kyrgios had announced that he would not compete on sand at all this year. Then he put in two very decent performances against Mackenzie McDonald and Tommy Paul, benefiting from Michael Mmoh's withdrawal in the quarterfinals. All in all, a correct performance, which lost value again due to the behavior against Opelka.
Also noteworthy: the songless elimination in doubles alongside Jack Sock. The American is generally regarded as the best pair skater in the tennis circuit. At the beginning of the year, Kyrgios showed with Thanasi Kokkinakis that he was capable of winning a major. The 4: 6 and 2: 6 of the two outstanding servers Kyrgios/Sock against Matej and Ivan Sabanov seems a bit strange.
Of course, Nick Kyrgios is a player who attracts spectators to the stadium and TV sets, especially younger ones. But if the worthlessness becomes too obvious, then fewer and fewer people will buy a ticket to watch Kyrgios at work. Which is certainly just as par for the Australian.