"I feel like I have just been an emotional kind of tennis player my entire career" - Nick Kyrgios
Nick Kyrgios said that he he has been an "emotional kind of tennis player" his entire career.
The Aussie continued his fine form on Tuesday by beating Alejandro Davidovich Fokina 7-5, 6-4 to book his place in the second round of the Western & Southern Open in Cincinnati.
Nick Kyrgios wins the Cincinnati first round 7-5, 6-4 against Alejandro Davidovich Fokina to reach the second round 💪
The Australian will face the 11th seed Taylor Fritz in the big clash next 🔥
#NickKyrgios #AlejandroDavidovichFokina #Cincinnati #Tennis https://t.co/LVlsn3L5vH
During his post-match press conference, Nick Kyrgios recalled his outburst at the 2019 Cincinnati Masters against Karen Khachanov.
On that occasion, the 27-year-old clashed with chair umpire Fergus Murphy, calling him "the worst ref in the game." After the match ended, Kyrgios called the Irishman a "f*****g tool" before spitting on the court.
Nick Kyrgios calls umpire Fergus Murphy a “f——— tool” and spits at him after losing. But yeah, he’s really turned a corner as suggested by the Australian media and Twitter 🙄😂
#ATPCincinnati #Kyrgios #auspol
https://t.co/qxpTRT4nte
This prompted a reporter to ask him if he could potentially have the same kind of outburst as 2019. Kyrgios responded in the affirmative, calling himself an "emotional" player.
"Oh, definitely," Nick Kyrgios said. "I feel like I have just been an emotional kind of tennis player my entire career. Ever since I picked up a racquet, my mum used to watch me throw tantrums and cry on the court and be emotional when I lost."
Kyrgios added that his outbursts were an indication that he cared about winning.
"I think that's, in a way, just me showing that I do care about the result," Nick Kyrgios added. "I think that's important. You know, a kid should care about the result, and I have never really accepted losing, you know, without beating myself up after the match or during the match. You know, I have always cared about the results so much."
"But I definitely feel like, yeah, it's a part of me that if I went out on the court and I was so emotional on every point and cared too much, I think you'd definitely see me throw my racquet."
Nick Kyrgios also revealed that he's "super relaxed" off the court but still has the "occasional outburst" on it.
"You rarely see me throw my racquet anymore," Kyrgios continued. "You get the occasional outburst, but no more than another player. I feel like that's something I've worked on majorly, obviously on the court, because off the court I'm super relaxed. You never get outbursts. I'm quite chilled out. On the court, it's taken a lot of work to get to a point where it's like, 'This guy, you can clearly tell he's been working on things, he's his own personality, but he's kind of walking a fine line at times but he's worked on it.'"
Nick Kyrgios will face Taylor Fritz in the second round of the Western & Southern Open
After beating Davidovich Fokina, Kyrgios will face 11th seed Taylor Fritz in the second round of the Western & Southern Open. Surprisingly, it will be the pair's first meeting on the tour. The winner will face either sixth seed Andrey Rublev or Fabio Fognini in the Round of 16.