Nick Kyrgios stole the spotlight on the second day at Wimbledon with a typical enthusiastic performance on and off the court. The Australian faced almost everyone while beating the British Paul Jubb. Rafael Nadal, meanwhile, worked much harder than he would have expected in his first Wimbledon match, while the new queen of the women’s match broke another record.
WITHOUT LOVE OF THE ROYAL BOX BY RAFA
For most, Rafael Nadal was the star attraction of the second day of Wimbledon. Even this morning on the tube, a Wimbledon fan told me, “I’ve seen Murray and Federer live, but I’ve never seen Christmas. I expect something special and I can’t wait for that.”
But, oddly enough, there was hardly anyone in the Royal Box during their inaugural Wimbledon match.
Maybe they were trying the strawberries and cream somewhere. Where those famous faces that were supposed to sit in The Box on Tuesday, which included Bear Grylls and Mike Tindall, missed a pretty entertaining match when Francisco Cerundolo threatened to break the script.
TETCHY KYRGIOS SMOKE TO OLD PEOPLE
It seems that not even the 90s can escape the Kyrgios firing line.
During his five-set thriller against Paul Jubb, Kyrgios hit the referee, the line judge, the audience, himself, Jubb … and the 90s.
“These people in their 90s don’t see the ball,” the Australian was heard smoking after losing a point in the third set.
It wouldn’t be the most outrageous thing to leave Kyrgios on Tuesday, although the 27-year-old admitted to spitting at a fan who had “disrespected” him.
SWIATE OVERCOMES THE WILLIAMS BROTHERS
If you haven’t noticed yet, we’re witnessing something very special with Iga Swiatek. The world number one did light work for his Croatian opponent, dropping just three games on the road to a set victory.
Leaving just three games is even amazing for her these days, this is the career she is in. The victory was her 36th in a row and saw her break the record of 35 victories for Serena Williams and Venus Williams to set the record in the 21st century.
Still, Swiatek was as humble as they were and then insisted that he is far from the “legends” that the Williams sisters are. As things stand, there’s no reason I can’t one day go down in history as big as Venus and Serena.
PENISTON CUSHION SEARCHER
When you’re a Briton who just won at Wimbledon, your business now interests almost every man and his dog.
Ryan Peniston found out when it emerged that someone had spilled the greats in his search for a new pad with fellow British star Alastair Gray, who also won his first-round match at Wimbledon on Tuesday.
When a reporter asked him if he was looking for a home with Gray, Peniston replied, “Yeah, I don’t know where you heard it from, but it’s pretty accurate information (laughs).
“Ali and I are, yes, great friends. Yes, it would be great if we could find a place to stay in this area. It would be great. But, no, we are definitely looking for it.”