It didn’t take long, in fact just two games, but Nick Kyrgios returned to his thorny top at the John Cain Arena at the Australian Open on Monday evening [AEDT].
With a 0-2 break in the first set against Portuguese Frederico Ferreira Silva, Kyrgios turned his attention to his player’s box and exclaimed aloud, “Tell your girlfriend to get out of my box!”
It is not clear who he was referring to exactly, but he proved to be the catalyst for a rapid change in fortune; Kyrgios quickly retreated and tied the competition at 2-2, and immediately murmured, “I wonder why?”
“Tell your girlfriend to get out of my box!” 😂
Add another Nick Kyrgios classic moment to the list. 🗒
I’LL SEE: @ Canal9
STREAM: https://t.co/ykPpc0k2wf# 9WWOS #AusOpen pic.twitter.com/ul2PWBlaFQ– Wide world of sports (@wwos) February 8, 2021
From there, the Australian was well on his way to advancing 5-4 in the set before stopping the proceedings again, this time reprimanding a member of the crowd for speaking between the first and second. service of your opponent.
“Rest assured, brother, have some respect for the child,” Kyrgios said.
He approached the chair referee after the match, asking him out loud if he was going to do anything about it.
Kyrgios took the first set 6-4 and was rarely worried for the rest of his match, occasionally offering some advice and at one point asking his opponent for an unused towel during a point change.
Kyrgios closed out the game 6-4, 6-4, 6-4, but said he was far from playing his best tennis.
“Honestly, it was pretty average. I haven’t played a Grand Slam game in over a year. I was nervous,” he said on the court after the win.
“(But) it was special; I appreciate it [the crowd for] going out. It was a weird year and we all overcame it together to make it possible. I felt normal, to be honest, it was good to see [the crowd was] going crazy “
Kyrgios faces Frenchman Ugo Humbert in the second round.