‘Full tank mode’: Nick Kyrgios explains fourth set meltdown

The controversial Aussie star is into the quarterfinals of Wimbledon for just the second time in his career after defeating US rising star Brandon Nakashima 4-6 6-4 7-6 3-6 6-2 after yet another rollercoaster of a match.

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Allowed to play on Centre Court, the Aussie gave the tennis world the full Kyrgios treatment, sending down thundering serves, battling through injury, delivering some scintillating strokes from nowhere and even getting into a verbal stoush with the umpire in the fifth set.

But commentators and fans thought Kyrgios may have lost it at the end of the fourth set when it appeared he was beginning meltdown.

After going on serve in the fourth set, Nakashima claimed a dominant break at 3-all to move into the box seat for the set after Kyrgios sent the ball wide.

He screamed at his box after someone within his team said he might want to make a first serve at some point.

“I’m trying obviously to make a first serve,” he shouted. “Stop saying that. Think I’m trying to miss my first serve? Jesus Christ.

“Obviously I’m trying to make the f**king first serve. Obviously,” he added before muttering under his breath and continuing to gesture at his team.

Kyrgios took Nakashima’s next service game to a deuce but hit the last shot long, seemingly in a frustrated shot and the writing was on the wall for the Aussie who appeared to throw away his service game, refusing to put too much effort into the game and essentially give the American.

Aussie doubles legend Todd Woodbridge said: “This is really silly from here because that’s another gifted point. He needs to hold serve and make Nakashima serve for it. Ask that question if he can serve for it because serving first in the fifth is so important.

“Why would you tank this game? Because that’s what this game is at the moment. He’s throwing this game to see what might happen at the start of the fifth.

“He needs to stay focused here, he’s lost his way.”

With a 74m/hr first serve and an underarm serve, Kyrgios did claim two points but the match went to the fifth set.

US Today’s Dan Wolken wrote: “I guess that was a semi-strategic tank from Kyrgios at the end of the fourth set. He’s blazing hot in the fifth set and is just about to put Nakashima away”.

iPaper Sport’s James Gray tweeted: “Nick Kyrgios is in full tank mode at the end of the first (sic) set.”

The Tennis Podcast added: “Two very quick breaks of the Kyrgios serve later, the second of which was a tank, and what they’re actually headed to is a FIFTH SET! The circus might be in town…”

Although most people would fight for every point, Kyrgios is not most people and revealed he threw away the set to refocus for the fifth set.

It looked to have all gone wrong when Nakashima claimed his first service game and went up 0-30 on Kyrgios’ serve but the Aussie bounced back, holding serve and then breaking the American twice in a row to race to a 5-1 lead and wrapping up the match on serve.

“At the end of the fourth, complete rope-a-dope tactic, I just threw away that service game,” Kyrgios admitted.

“I knew that he was in a rhythm, he was starting to get on top of me and I just wanted to throw him off a little bit and it worked.”

Kyrgios, who has at times in his career said he doesn’t love the sport, said it was “a really good mental performance” as he continues his tilt at the Wimbledon title.

“Today I was almost smiling and laughing to myself, just knowing I was locked in a battle where in the past I haven’t been able to enjoy that,” Kyrgios said.

“I was kind of enjoying the fact that two sets to one, obviously before I lost the fourth set, he was playing really well, I wasn’t playing that great but I was really enjoying the competitiveness.

“It’s probably the first time in my career where I really wasn’t playing well, playing Centre Court at Wimbledon, fully packed crowd, I was able to say ‘look how far I’ve come’.”

Kyrgios is strong in five-setters, having gone 6-0 at Wimbledon when it goes the distance and 11-3 in his grand slam career.

In his post-match interview, Kyrgios said his five-set record was in the back of his mind as well as he lifted his game in the fifth set.

“I’m just proud of the way I steadied the ship,” Kyrgios said.

“You know he came firing in the fourth set, his level didn’t drop.

“My five-set record is pretty good. Honestly, that’s what I was thinking about.

“I’ve never lost a five-set match here. I was like, ‘I’ve been here before, I’ve done it before’, and I came through again.”

Kyrgios will now face Chilean Cristian Garin in the quarterfinals, and if he wins, will be on a collision course with 22-time grand slam champion Rafael Nadal in the semi-finals.

Originally published as ‘Full tank mode’: Nick Kyrgios explains fourth set meltdown