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Nick Kyrgios proved once more that he could be a very dangerous opponent on grass, defeating fourth seed Stefanos Tsitsipas in the third round of the 2022 Wimbledon Championships.
Coming into the contest as a slight favorite, the former World No. 13 lost the first set in a tight tie-breaker. But just when fans were wondering if it would be another instance of the mercurial Australian flattering to deceive, he stepped up his game to take the next three sets and secure passage to the next round with a 6-7(2), 6-4, 6-3, 7-6(7) scoreline.
The match had its fair share of controversy, with both Kyrgios and Tsitsipas constantly complaining to the chair umpire repeatedly about the other's behavior. The 27-year-old was of the opinion that Tsitsipas should have been disqualified after he hit the ball angrily into the crowd, while the World No. 5 was infuriated by Kyrgios' constant interaction with the crowd in the midst of the match.
Despite what transpired off the tennis court, the action on the court was just as exciting, as tennis fans flooded social media with their messages of praise for the World No. 40. As annoyed as they were with the Australian's antics, users on Twitter reluctantly admitted that his playstyle was one of the most entertaining on the men's tour at the moment.
To be fair, not everyone shared that opinion, as the former World No. 13 also earned a lot of criticism for the way he behaved during the clash. But for once, those were in the minority, as most fans were captivated by the sensational sight of Nick Kyrgios playing at his very best.
"There’s not much better in terms of top level sport than watching Nick Kyrgios performing at his best in a tennis Grand slam! Unplayable at times, the Gobert of tennis," one fan wrote.
"They hate kyrgios because he’s a good tennis player with an actual personality rather than a guy you see on Rolex ads at the airport," another account posted.
"I watched most of the match and whilst I admit both players didn't behave well, I thought Tsitsipas behaved much worse. But he is very much establishment and Nick Kyrgios is not so media trying to manipulate it into making Nick the bad guy and Tsitsipas the victim. Be mindful," one user wrote.
"All of the talk at Wimbledon about Kyrgios being entertaining has a very strong "boys will be boys" energy about it. If a woman behaved like that we'd never hear the end of it. There's no place for his appalling behaviour in the sport," another fan tweeted.
"Nick Kyrgios thinks he's doing good things for tennis when all he's bringing to it is angry men riddled with toxic masculinity that just want fights and shouting. Go back to football," one user wrote.
Nick Kyrgios takes on Brandon Nakashima in the 4th round at Wimbledon
Following his victory over Stefanos Tsitsipas, Nick Kyrgios will cross paths with Brandon Nakashima in the fourth round of the 2022 Wimbledon Championships. The American scored a straight-sets victory over Daniel Elahi Galan in the third round to set up a meeting with the 27-year-old.
The duo have not met on the ATP tour to date and will square off for the first time on Monday. The winner of the clash will take on either Cristian Garin or 19th seed Alex de Minaur in the quarterfinals, with a potential semifinal clash against Rafael Nadal looking ahead down the road.
