Dubai // Two matches in two days and already the two sides of Nick Kyrgios have been on show at the Dubai Duty Free Tennis Championships.
On Tuesday evening, having barely touched down in Dubai from Marseille where he won his first ATP title, Kyrgios looked like he wanted to be anywhere other than on a tennis court.
Dishevelled and disinterested, the 20-year-old Australian managed to grind out a win from a pretty ordinary first-round encounter with Martin Klizan.
But on Thursday, in his second round match with Kazakhstan’s Mikhail Kukushkin, the “other” Kyrgios came out to play.
There was a far more positive attitude, a spring in his step, and the quality of his tennis offered a glimpse into why Kyrgios is being billed as a potential future world No 1.
His serve, the bedrock on which his game is based, was firing like a cannon, the whipping forehand was dangerously sharp, and there was clever variation in his use of speed on the groundstrokes.
This was not just a blood-and-thunder performance but a carefully executed gameplan that was too smart for Kukushkin.
Of course, there were a few trick shots, with the odd tweener and a few jumping winners.
It would not be Nick Kyrgios without some showmanship.
In the end, Kyrgios was a comfortable 6-3, 6-2 winner.
“It was a major improvement from Tuesday,” Kyrgios said.
“I think I adapted well to the conditions. I got a much better session in beforehand, got a good rest, and was really prepared. I thought my attitude was really good all throughout the match today. I executed really well.”
Such is the tempestuous character of Kyrgios, it often feels whichever mood he is in that day will determine his on-court success. There is no denying his remarkable talent, but after a series of unsavoury incidents last year, Kyrgios has been labelled as a tennis “bad boy”.
It is a little uncompromising to bracket a 20 year old forced to grow up in the spotlight in such definitive terms, and Kyrgios appears to be adjusting to such intense scrutiny by taking a more philosophical approach.
“There are greater things happening in the world than me playing a tennis match,” he said. “I’m happy I’m playing well but at the same time if I lose, I go home, it’s a win-win situation.
“I had a couple of things last year off the court that made me look at the world a little different, and I’m enjoying my tennis a little bit more now.
“I’ve got the right people around me, so I’m just working hard and making the most of it when I’m on the court.”
In what has the potential to be the match of the tournament, Kyrgios takes on world No 8 Tomas Berdych for a place in the semi-finals on Thursday.
It will be the third meeting this season between the two, with both players winning one apiece.
“He’s so professional, that’s what makes him such a great player,” Kyrgios said of Berdych.
“He’s so diligent with everything he does. He’s a great guy as well, I played IPTL with him a couple of times and he’s always been nice to me.
“He beat me at the Australian Open, I beat him last week in Marseille.
“The conditions here are completely different so it should suit him. His serve is big, he plays big so it is going to be a good match.
“I’m looking forward to it, he’s a great player.”
In a match that is too close to call, which Kyrgios turns up Thursday could ultimately be the deciding factor.
jturner@thenational.ae
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