Nick Kyrgios has retired from his search for doubles at Wimbledon to focus on what could be his best position so far in the individual crown.
Key points:
- Kyrgios beat Serbian Filip Krajinovic 6-2, 6-3, 6-1 on Friday.
- He was due to play his first doubles match with Thanasi Kokkinakis a few hours later, but withdrew due to the pressure he would put on his body.
- The Australian will face number four seed Stefanos Tsitsipas in the next round
After their unexpected rock ‘n’ roll doubles at the Australian Open earlier this year alongside friend and teammate Thanasi Kokkinakis, where the “Special Ks” become the first Australian couple to win the title since 1997, many wondered if they would revive their association. to compete for another trophy.
But after his company beat No. 26 seed Filip Krajinovic overnight by 6-2, 6-3, 6-1, non-seed Kyrgios announced he would retire from the men’s doubles to concentrate in his individual drive.
“I’m a singles player: my priority has always been the singles. I’ve reached the quarterfinals here before, I’ve won singles titles,” said Kyrgios, who had to play his first-round doubles match against l’Aljaz. Bedene and Kwon Soon-woo a few hours after their individual victory.
“I played almost four hours in my first round. Personally, I spent too much time on the court.
“Today, I’ve made up for it. But I want to put my singles as my priority. I’m doing what’s best for my body.”
Two days after struggling to tame Britain’s Paul Jubb in front of Court 3 fans, Kyrgios was the focus model when he eliminated Serbia’s Krajinovic with brutal efficiency.
Kyrgios was a starter for his runs against Jubb, but was calm and in control in his win over Krajinovic. (Getty: Steven Paston / PA)
“I just wanted to remind everyone that I’m pretty good,” Kyrgios said bluntly, still without a smile and with real humor in his interview on track 2 afterwards.
“The other day I didn’t play very well, today I was in the zone.”
Kyrgios also took the opportunity of his post-match press conference to recently criticize the media for his behavior, which included spitting at a spectator, for which he was fined $ 10,000 ($ 14,500). .
“I feel like sometimes I don’t have respect, you know?” He said.
“There was nothing the media could tell me I did wrong today. I just know you can’t ask me anything and stir anything.
“And I love it because then you can’t write anything. What will you say? Nothing today. Studied, everyone.
“It was just a kind of reminder to put you all back in your place.”
Out there, he had shown why he was believed to be one of the best turf court players in the world, knocking down a capable rival and a series leader good enough to have reached the recent prestigious Queen’s Club final.
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Devastating behind his first serve, the Australian got his win in less than an hour and a half, after scoring 24 aces and only losing nine points with his own delivery.
Those drawn to the idea of seeing Kyrgios, who admitted to spitting at a spectator in Tuesday’s contest, in a mode of self-destruction were very disappointed, as the magnet of the controversy was his best behavior. .
There was an early dispute over a line call and one or two complaints to a coughing spectator before serving, but they were not even recorded as the minor tremors of Kyrgios ’normal crisis scale.
In the first set, Kyrgios did not lose a single point in the service and only conceded the first by his own delivery after 21 points in a row, when already 2-0 in the second stanza.
Krajinovic was increasingly discouraged when a winner behind a winner passed him, and Kyrgios ended in a flourish, advancing with the Serbian’s service to pulverize a setback for his 50th winner who sealed the deal.
The Kyrgios offered a delightful third-round clash on Saturday with No. 4 seed Stefanos Tsitsipas, who defeated Australian team-mate Jordan Thompson 6-2, 6-3, 7-5 .
“Right now I’m happy, I’ve been preparing for this tournament, I’ve circled it on my calendar all year and I think it’s my best chance to win a Grand Slam,” Kyrgios said.
“I have an incredibly tough draw, but I will continue to take it game by game.
“I’m excited. I feel like we’ve both earned our right. We’re two of the biggest stars in the sport. Hopefully, if we both wear our best tennis, it’ll be amazing to see him.”
AAP / ABC
Posted 1 h 1 hour ago Thu, June 30, 2022 at 9:06 PM, updated 42 m ago, 42 minutes ago, Thu, June 30, 2022 at 9:35 PM