He used to be considered the Bad Bay of the tennis world, prone to the kind of outbursts that could divide audiences and send fans running from the stands. But in recent years, with his athletic prowess and the kind of killer serve that now overshadows any on-court antics, Kyrgios has become a major drawcard. He’s to tennis what Happy Gilmore was to golf: a much-needed breath of fresh air; perhaps not the most palatable of all the stars, but endeared to those who love him.
Ever since he played in the Wimbledon final (although ultimately lost to Novak Djokovic), it seems Kyrgios’ tennis has continued to climb to new strengths and while he may have always talked the talk of a man destined for greatness, it seems players are now only waking up to that fact, too. And proving that this year’s US Open grand slam title might just be his to lose, Kyrgios dethroned world No 1 Daniil Medvedev in a thrilling match to reach the quarter-finals for the first time in his career.
It was an epic match and while Medvedev’s talent may not have been reflected on the scoreboard, on the court he was a machine, challenging Kyrgios’ power behind the baseline with the kind of defence that has seen him compared to a brick wall simply because nothing gets past him. By the end of the first set, the pair had combined for 44 winners and just 20 unforced errors. Sadly for Medvedev though, he couldn’t maintain that kind of level throughout the exhausting match.
Even under the immense pressure of a tie-break, Kyrgios refused to be thrown and approached the match with nothing but steely-eyed determination. The 23rd seed defeated the defending champion 7-6 (13-11), 3-6, 6-3, 6-2 on Arthur Ashe Stadium. He will next come up against Karen Khachanov, the 27th seed. Speaking to the crowd post-match, Kyrgios said: “I want to go all the way, and hopefully it’s possible.”
As many are already calling it, Kyrgios is having the greatest summer of his career as it seems he has learned to block the outside noise and focus on his game, avoiding the kind of blow-ups that would have derailed him in the past. In 2022, he now stands at 35-9 in terms of matches won and lost. As The Guardian reports, “He has won more matches than any other player this summer, and if he had been granted those 1,200 points from his Wimbledon final run, he would be top eight in the ATP race, right behind Medvedev himself.”
With Medvedev beaten, he will be replaced at the top by either Rafael Nadal, Carlos Alcaraz or Casper Rudd. For Kyrgios, his best result in New York has previously only ever been a third round finish. Now, many are putting him as the favourite in his first ever US Open quarter-final.
“I hadn’t won a match on Ashe before this week, now I’ve won two against two quality opponents,” he said. “I feel like I’ve been able to showcase. There’s a lot of celebrities here, a lot of important people here watching. I wanted to get on that court and show them I am able to put my head down and play and win these big matches.”
Kyrgios has also spoken about his desire to return home and be reunited with his family, something he holds close. “We got to try and just tough it out and keep pushing each other, keep being positive. We do realise it’s next week we’re going home. But three more matches potentially, then we never have to play tennis again.”
As for what he considers to be the greatest win of his career, Kyrgios could only shrug in reply. “I feel like I’m more just proud of the way that I’ve bounced back after everything, honestly. I’ve been in some really tough situations mentally, and in some really scary places. So, yeah, obviously if you look at it on paper, I probably wasn’t expected to win that.”
