Kyrgios set the Wimbledon world on fire at this tournament with his fiery temper and outrageous behavior — just as the US champion did 40 years ago. 8 Australia’s Kyrgios fires up at Tsitsipas match last weekCredit: Getty 8 Kyrgios yells at a Wimbledon refereeCredit: PA 8 Kyrgios spits at the crowdCredit: Twitter And like McEnroe – famous for shouting “you can’t be serious” at the umpires – he screams fouls at the officials and annoys his opponents. Viewers dare not miss his controversial press conferences – and remarkably, Kyrgios is now even seen as a potential Wimbledon champion. The stunning prediction comes despite extraordinary scenes on Court No1 at the weekend where the 27-year-old Australian was branded “mean” and a “bully” by his opponent. Earlier in the tournament he was fined £8,000 for SPITTING at a spectator. But tennis experts say that despite his terrible demeanour, Kyrgios has what it takes to hold on to the men’s singles trophy and collect a £2m cheque. Kyrgios – who has never progressed beyond the quarter-finals of any grand slam – is back in action today against 20-year-old American Brandon Nakashima. And the crowd will once again expect fireworks on the court, where the bad boy can break 140mph serves with an incredible 75 per cent accuracy. To rattle his opponents, he will even serve underarm. On Saturday, the world No40 angered Stefanos Tsitsipas so much that the Greek player repeatedly tried to hit balls at him and twice angrily smashed shots into the crowd, fans who were briefly absent. After the defeat, Wimbledon’s No. 4 hopes that Stefanos will complain about his opponent: “It’s constant bullying. He was probably a bully at school. I don’t like bullies. “He has some good traits in his character, too. But he also has a very evil side to him, which if revealed, can really do a lot of harm to the people around him.” Kyrgios shot back: “He has some serious issues. “I have many friends. I’m really one of the most liked. He is not likable. Let’s put it out there. The star’s unmistakable style has divided pundits, with some praising its pure entertainment value and others arguing it’s a blemish on the game. BBC tennis analyst Laura Robson says fans are watching Kyrgios for the “wrong reasons”, hoping he will “explode”. Even McEnroe, now 63, has warned him against his composure, saying: “I hope he sees the writing on the wall before it becomes chronic.” But former British No1 Andrew Castle describes Kyrgios as “pure box office” and insists the unpredictability is what his fans love. Later today, Kyrgios’ stunning fiancee, 21-year-old social media influencer Costeen Hatzi, and his dad George will be among a sell-out crowd at Center Court. Neil’s mum is a member of the Malaysian royal family, but gave up the title of princess when she moved to Australia and fell in love with the painter and decorator George, who had emigrated from Greece. Nick gets his crazy attitude from his mum who, when he came to London in 2014 to play in his first tournament, told her son he would be beaten by Spanish ace Rafa Nadal.
“It can do a lot of damage”
Kyrgios was so incensed that he won the fan favorite in four sets – his best result at Wimbledon. Controversy has since followed him around the world as he fought against referees and opponents. At the 2016 Australian Open he swore and complained about music coming from the nearby Melbourne Cricket Ground. A boisterous Kyrgios screamed at British referee James Keothavong: “Man, are you okay? Music is playing in the crowd. “I’ve told you seven times. Am I hearing things? Man, it’s a circus.” As Kyrgios left the court after losing to Czech Tomas Berdych, he yelled at the referee: “You’re a terrible referee.” The previous year he challenged Stan Wawrinka at the Canadian Open by telling him that low-ranked Australian Thanasis Kokkinakis “hit your girlfriend. Sorry to tell you this, man.’ The microphones also picked up Kyrgios saying under his breath that Wawrinka, who was 30 at the time, was “beating 18-year-olds”. His sponsor, Bonds underwear, let him down for the outburst. He crashed out of the 2017 French Open, losing to South African Kevin Anderson, after deliberately breaking two rackets – and asking a spectator for a beer mid-match. During a clash with Britain’s Kyle Edmund at the 2019 Rogers Cup, Kyrgios refused to play until he was given a white towel instead of the tournament’s branded ones. When the pristine item arrived, he berated officials for taking 20 minutes to bring it to him.
“I’m afraid to be alone”
Kyrgios was fined £17,000 at the Italian Open after losing the plot when he was given a match penalty for unsportsmanlike conduct. He threw a folding chair onto the pitch and shouted at the referee: “I give 100 per cent to deal with idiots like him. I’m done with this.” With that he slung his bag over his shoulder and left, losing the match to Norway’s Casper Rudd. That same year he attacked Nadal at the Cincinnati Masters. He said of his opponent’s slow serve: “If Rafa plays that fast, I’ll retire from tennis.” Then Kyrgios was denied a bathroom break. He took it anyway – he broke two rackets before returning to the court. At that year’s Laver Cup he claimed to have lost his concentration during his loss to Roger Federer because he had spotted a “really hot chick in the crowd”. He said: “I’m being really honest – I’d marry her right now.” Kyrgios has a soft side. He won’t eat meat because he wants to protect the animals. He had many amazing girlfriends – but his relationships also ended in resentment. In 2015, he dated Croatian-born tennis player Ajla Tomljanovic, who played for Australia. Nick said: “When I’m with her I’m the happiest.” But the couple split in 2017 after Kyrgios was photographed partying with other female tennis players. He later hinted at a reunion, but the romance never rekindled.
“Happiness Found”
For two months in 2020 he dated Russian player Anna Kalinskaya, who later told her Instagram followers: “We broke up. We are not friends”. Kyrgios was quick to comment that he wanted to sleep with beautiful fans. Although last summer he announced on Instagram “Happiness is Found” with model Chiara Passari. However, by October police were called to a quarantine hotel in Adelaide to deal with a dispute between the pair. The following month he called Kyrgios a “player” and after sending him roses as an apology, fumed: “Who sends someone roses when he’s still doing the same thing?” Passari accused him of being “afraid to be alone” after he subsequently fell in love with interior designer Costeen Hatzi. The beautiful influencer shared her first post of Kyrgios on Jan. 2 with a mirror selfie of them together in the bathroom — after the toilet seat was gone. Hadji wrote in the caption: “Not a bad way to start 2022” and added a love heart. By May he was claiming they were getting married “very soon” and showing off a new tattoo in her honour. Kyrgios claims he doesn’t even like playing tennis but insists he is the best grass court player in the world. And now he has his sights set on the Wimbledon trophy. He says: “I just want to remind everyone that I’m good enough. I think it’s my best chance to win a grand slam of all four.” His army of young fans know they’re going to have royal fun at every turn. 8 Tsitsipas lost his cool in the third round by ‘bully’ KyrgiosCredit: Getty 8 Kyrgios’ girlfriend, Kostine Hatzi, will be sitting in the Center cheering him on Credit: Instagram / @costeenhatzi 8 Kyrgios’ ex Anna Kalinskaya – who he dated for two months in 2020Credit: Instagram @annakalinskaya78 8 Bad boy John McEnroe in 1980 at Wimbledon 8 Pundit Andrew Castle rates the Australian playerCredit: BBC
Perfect for the game? – By Andrew Castle, former British No1
NIKOS KYRGIO is great for the game. It’s at the box office, and why do we watch sports? Because it’s unpredictable. With Kyrgios, I don’t know if I will see a long exposure shot or a psychological breakdown. It’s a powerful combination for which crowds adore the man. Wimbledon scheduled him on Court 12 for the first round match and you couldn’t move for the queue. His first victim was Britain’s Paul Jubb, undone in five grueling sets and with the usual drama. A linesman reported Kyrgios to the referee. Raise the collapse. He called her “vicious” in a 15-minute press conference that was as entertaining as many matches. Messy eating sushi as he spoke, he couldn’t understand why anyone would call him a hypocrite for criticizing someone for doing his job while he was doing his. He also admitted to spitting in the direction of a fan who was against him in court. I commented on his match on Court Two a day later and he was simply superb in knocking out Filip Krajinovic. The move to Court One brought us to his showdown with Stefanos Tsitsipas. Tsitsipas hit a ball into the world and Kyrgios wanted to kick him out of the tournament. The locker room might not consider it “sporting”, but that won’t bother the Aussies. He feels like he’s been victimized over and over again. Tsitsipas intended to ball Kyrgios for the rest of the match, but missed, despite the first two chances. And when Kyrgios served him underarm, he again hit the ball out of the arena and was awarded a penalty. Injury offense. The crowd was winning it, as were the TV viewers as he reached the fourth round. This guy is fascinating. The reason I know this is because Mrs. Castle will always tune in when she plays. He is complex,…
