Hell hath no fury like Nick Kyrgios scorned—or even just observed, if Sunday's Wimbledon final is anything to go by.
That's after the Grand Slam final debutant was witnessed repeatedly blaring at those in his own box midway through his match against Novak Djokovic. Kyrgios appeared a lot more at ease after snatching victory in the first set, but the underdog seemed increasingly agitated as 20-time major champion Djokovic came back into the match.
One would assume the berating was aimed toward Kyrgios' coach considering most tennis players tend to vent frustrations at their mentors. However, the Australian recently confirmed he doesn't have a coach because he would "never put that burden on someone."
And one can understand what that 'burden' might entail after he let loose on those comprising his box time and again from the second set onwards. Among that number is his father Giorgos, sister Halimah and girlfriend Costeen Hatzi, as well as his manager, Daniel Horsfall, and physio Will Maher.
While none of those persons might have any sway over Kyrgios' tactics—or even much tennis insight in general—the finalist was all to quick to assign blame in their direction. At one point, the 27-year-old appeared to be upset with his entourage for not giving him the right encouragement while in leading positions.
Kyrgios was trailing 5-3 in the second set when he missed four break-point opportunities and then lost the set. It was around this time he shouted at his nearest and dearest for not doing enough to help him convert the break, then mocked their flat reactions when he would lose a point.
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A Kyrgios performance wouldn't be complete without a tirade against the umpire, and Sunday's decider was no different. After saying he was receiving abuse from one woman in the crowd, Kyrgios was asked to identify the perpetrator and said it was the one who looks like she's "had like 700 drinks."
For her partner, Kyrgios' partner, Hatzi, attempted to quell the storm by telling her beau to calm down. "I’ve still not worked out whether Kyrgios was shouting at his family, his coach, the crowd, himself or just everyone," tweeted broadcaster Dan Walker.
Although he may appear to be a fan of the 'lone wolf' image, Kyrgios' outbursts are the mark of a player desperate to share his burden. The Canberran has one major title to his name, having lifted the Australian Open doubles crown alongside Thanasi Kokkinakis earlier this year.
