'Nick can play with chaos going on' - Lleyton Hewitt's verdict on Nick Kyrgios vs Stefanos Tsitsipas Wimbledon match
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ByEurosport
Updated 04/07/2022 at 09:02 GMT
Nick Kyrgios is into the fourth round of Wimbledon for the fourth time in his career and will play 20-year-old American Brandon Nakashima on Centre Court on Monday afternoon. After a dramatic third-round match against Stefanos Tsitsipas on Saturday which saw both players receive fines, Lleyton Hewitt explains to Eurosport how Kyrgios has no problem playing through chaos.
‘Apparently they were friends!’ – Schett on Tsitsipas and Kyrgios bust-up
Lleyton Hewitt believes Nick Kyrgios' fiery match with Stefanos Tsitsipas played into the hands of the Australian as he is comfortable with chaos.
Kyrgios and Tsitsipas played out an incident-packed third round match on Court 1 on Saturday which saw both players hit with fines afterwards.
Kyrgios has to pay $4,000 (£3,300) for an audible obscenity while Tsitsipas was given a $10,000 (£8,250) fine for unsportsmanlike conduct.
Tsitsipas received two warnings for hitting the ball into the crowd while Kyrgios appealed to umpire Damien Dumusois for the Greek to be defaulted for his conduct.
Australia's Davis Cup captain Hewitt believes the hectic nature of the contest was always going to favour Kyrgios.
"It was an epic and it was always going to be between those two players," he told Eurosport.
"But now the pressure swings and there will be a lot more pressure and expectation on Nick every time he goes out there now for the rest of the tournament.
"It was probably over the top in the end because it became not a tennis match. There was everything going on and it wasn't just the incredible skill of the two players out there on the court.
"It was strange. It played into Nick's wheelhouse though. Everything turned and Tsitsipas lost his head and his emotions in the end and it cost him the match.
"Nick can play with chaos going on. Not many people can, but he can. We've seen at the Australian Open in the doubles when it was a big scene like that, that is when he plays his best tennis.
"His opponents have to be prepared for that. They know at some stage in a lot of matches stuff like that is going to happen.
"You have to keep on going. Stefanos played him only two weeks ago in Stuttgart so it's nothing surprising for him there. Nick, the way he is serving, is going to be tough to beat for everyone."
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‘He is a different person!’ – Kyrgios 'more focussed' than ever, says Wilander
Alex de Minaur and Jason Kubler both join Kyrgios in the fourth round at Wimbledon, highlighting a successful tournament for Australian tennis so far.
Hewitt has expressed his pride for 29-year-old Kubler, who has reached the fourth round of a Grand Slam for the first time in his career.
"The one I'm really proud of is Jason Kubler," the 2002 Wimbledon champion said.
"He's had a really tough time with injuries. He's a terrific kid and he does everything you ask of him. We had him at the Davis Cup tie back in March earlier this year and he was fantastic the whole time.
"He did everything Rochy [Tony Roche] and I wanted on the practice court. He was just one of the hitting partners and we said at the time 'do you know how good you could be?' He's really going from strength to strength.
"He's crept back into the top 100 now. It's a shame there's no points for him here but it's going to give him a lot of confidence moving forward to make the second week."
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‘It doesn’t bother me!’ – Wilander on whether Tsitsipas and Kyrgios can patch up friendship
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Watch daily highlights from Wimbledon at 10pm on Eurosport 2 and discovery+ from June 27, as well as the two singles finals live on July 9 and 10.
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