THE CHAMPIONSHIPS

July 2, 2022

Nick Kyrgios

Press Conference

N. KYRGIOS/S. Tsitsipas

6-7, 6-4, 6-3, 7-6

THE MODERATOR: Just give us your thoughts on the match.

NICK KYRGIOS: Roller coaster. Thought I played, thought the level was pretty good, barring everything that happened.

I'm really happy to just be second week of a slam again here for the fourth time, I think. Just super happy to -- I think the hard work and just the way I have been playing on the grass is paying off.

THE MODERATOR: Questions.

Q. Stefanos Tsitsipas was just in here, and I'm going to quote to you what he said. He said that: It's constant bullying, he was probably a bully at school, I don't like bullies, he has a very evil side to him. That's what he said.

NICK KYRGIOS: (Laughter.)

I don't know what to say. I'm not sure how I bullied him. He was the one hitting balls at me, he was the one that hit a spectator, he was the one that smacked it out of the stadium.

I didn't do anything. I was actually like -- apart from me just going back and forth to the umpire for a bit, I did nothing towards Stefanos today that was disrespectful, I don't think. I was not drilling him with balls.

I don't know. I don't know what to say. Like what do you think?

Q. I mean, he went as far as saying that he thinks that some of the players should get together and talk about you or talk to you and try to deal with what you are bringing onto the court...

NICK KYRGIOS: Well, I would be pretty upset if I lost to someone two weeks in a row, as well. Maybe he should figure out how to beat me a couple more times first and then get to that.

Q. When you were going back and forth with the umpire and you see any opponent is getting upset, is it at all tactical? Are you just trying to say your piece and it keeps coming? Is it emotional or tactical?

NICK KYRGIOS: When I played Filip Krajinovic, he didn't hit a ball at a spectator. He didn't hit a spectator. So I really don't have much to talk about. I was just wondering why he was still on the court. Because I know if the roles had been reversed, I would have been pulled off that court and defaulted, for sure.

I was just wondering what was going on.

Q. Special day for Australians at Wimbledon today. First time since '99 we've had four Aussies in the last 16. Can you just talk about that and also special effort from Kubler in particular.

NICK KYRGIOS: I'm obviously not surprised with de Minaur. He's been flying that flag for a while now. Super solid player. I'm not surprised to see him in the second week.

Kubes, hit with him at an indoor court about a week ago. I thought his level was really good. He obviously beat one of my best mates today.

Yeah, I mean, Kubes is capable of doing anything. You make it this far in the draw, you're feeling good, seeing the ball pretty big. I'm super proud with, you know, Aussies being this far, still capable of doing some damage at Wimbledon. It's good to see.

Q. You could potentially play Alex in the quarterfinals. That would be pretty cool, too.

NICK KYRGIOS: Of course. We've both got a tough match ahead. He's got Garin and I have Nakashima. Nakashima won easily today in straight sets. To do that at Wimbledon on grass is not easy. He's obviously playing well. I'm not looking past that.

Q. Generally players don't get defaulted for hitting the ball into the crowd. Do you think that should change?

NICK KYRGIOS: So you don't think hitting a spectator in the head with a ball warrants a default?

Q. No, I'm just --

NICK KYRGIOS: No, but today. But today, do you not think that warrants a default?

Q. I don't think it did actually hit a spectator.

NICK KYRGIOS: It hit a spectator. Yeah, it did. I've seen the video.

Q. Okay. But I can't remember anybody being defaulted for hitting a ball into the crowd.

NICK KYRGIOS: Djokovic?

Q. No, but he hit a line judge.

NICK KYRGIOS: So what, I can just smack balls into spectators and hit spectators and not get defaulted is what you're saying?

Q. What I'm saying is, should that be an automatic default?

NICK KYRGIOS: Well, what do you think? So you think I could just peg balls into the crowd and not get defaulted?

Q. I'm saying --

NICK KYRGIOS: Well, you just answered your own question. You obviously don't agree with the rule. You think they should get defaulted then.

Q. I do actually, yes.

NICK KYRGIOS: There you go. He did it.

Q. If you hit a ball recklessly into the crowd --

NICK KYRGIOS: Yeah, he did it.

Q. -- you should get defaulted.

NICK KYRGIOS: That's great. Why was he still on the court?

Q. I'm saying generally players don't get defaulted.

NICK KYRGIOS: Generally means, okay, that doesn't mean it can't still happen, though. Do you not think it was warranted today? He picked up the ball and smacked it into the crowd, hit someone in the head off the wall?

Q. Absolutely, yeah.

NICK KYRGIOS: There you go. Next question. We did it.

Q. Obviously you both received code violations throughout the match today. Stefanos for hitting...

NICK KYRGIOS: We just really need to stop putting us on the same level of behavior today.

Q. That's kind of the question. He apologized for that. He was pretty profuse about it in his press conference.

NICK KYRGIOS: Does that make it okay? I have apologized and I've been hit with massive fines.

Q. Is there anything that you would feel the need to apologize for?

NICK KYRGIOS: What did I do there? What did I do?

Q. Verbal abuse.

NICK KYRGIOS: I'll get fined for that. Why would I need to apologize? I'm getting fined for it. Because I got -- I always get fined. I'm very keen to see what he will get after today.

Q. You are playing very well.

NICK KYRGIOS: Thanks, Ben.

Q. But do you think that you can win this tournament? If so, are you at all worried that all of the circus -- was the word Stef used -- could be tiring for you?

NICK KYRGIOS: I feel great. I don't know what he's -- like, the circus was all him today. I actually felt great. I feel great physically now. I'm ready to go again if I need to play again tomorrow. I just think he's making that match about me, like he's got some serious issues, like serious.

I'm good in the locker room. I've got many friends, just to let you know. I'm actually one of the most liked. I'm set. He's not liked. Let's just put that there.

So anyway, no, I'm good. I feel good.

Q. Do you think you can win the tournament?

NICK KYRGIOS: Yeah, I feel good. As I said, round by round, if I keep doing my things, I feel good. I'm all right.

Q. You were pretty effusive about Stefanos and Petros afterwards, the last 20 minutes feel like that might not be the case anymore. Do you think you will both brush this off and be friends in two days' time?

NICK KYRGIOS: I don't care. As I said, when I'm back home and you see my everyday and who I'm competing with on the basketball court, these guys are dogs.

The people I'm playing at Wimbledon, they're not -- he's that soft, to come in here and say I bullied him, that's just soft. We're not cut from the same cloth. I go up against guys who are true competitors.

If he's affected by that today, then that's what's holding him back, because someone can just do that and that's going to throw him off his game like that. I just think it's soft.

Q. You're wearing a shirt with Dennis Rodman's name and picture. In what ways do you see similarities between yourself and Rodman and in what ways might you like to follow his example?

NICK KYRGIOS: Obviously, this is just clean washing. (Laughter.)

Like I didn't -- I saw the shirt today in my house, I was, like, Yeah, that will work. We were watching "Last Dance" this morning as well on the TV. NBA is a great example. Like, these guys are competitors. Like, a little bit of trash talk. I wasn't even trash talking him. He's going to say I bullied him. I didn't do anything. It's just crazy.

I wasn't trying to be like anyone. I was just going out there and competing at Wimbledon, and I did it. It was successful. Everything I did worked. It was like I'm not going out there to be his friend, like, Oh, Tsitsipas. Do you want me give him a lot of respect, and say, Beautiful shot, Stefanos?

No, that's not what I'm going to give to him. I'm just going to be myself. I'm not trying to be Dennis Rodman. Trying to be myself.

Q. First of all, it was a great match and I enjoyed it a lot, congratulations. Second, do you think that all the critics you get are you don't deserve them ever? I mean, apart from today in general, do you think that everybody's against you or you're a victim of the media and other stuff? Last thing, today there was one moment when he missed an easy shot and you say, Good shot.

NICK KYRGIOS: Yep.

Q. That is not very nice, you must admit it.

NICK KYRGIOS: I'm not trying to be nice.

Q. If someone would have done it to you you wouldn't have liked.

NICK KYRGIOS: I most likely wouldn't have come in here and said I got bullied. I said, Nice shot. Now it's getting out of hand.

First of all, to answer your first question, you asked me -- what did you ask me, my critics and stuff?

Q. Yeah, if you think that everyone is against you.

NICK KYRGIOS: I don't really care. They have to watch me play fourth round of Wimbledon. Got a pretty nice paycheck this week as well, so I don't really care about what they think and what they are going to comment on my interview or anything like that.

I just go about my stuff. I'll be confident. I'm going to prepare and keep playing the way I know how to play. And it wasn't easy shot. I hit a good serve.

I saw him working on his backhand return yesterday, and he hit the back fence. I said, Good shot.

Q. You highlighted what you think has been holding Stefanos back...

NICK KYRGIOS: Yeah.

Q. ... from winning a major.

NICK KYRGIOS: I didn't say that. You put that -- I didn't say winning a major. You just decided to put that on yourself.

Q. What's been holding you back, would you say?

NICK KYRGIOS: Well, I think I just don't like travel, and tennis is a tough one. When you're from Australia you have to travel eight months of the year to play a full schedule. That's not something I'm willing to do. So that's first things first. I don't like to travel that much.

Obviously I haven't been able to play a consistent level of tennis. I'm very accountable. I haven't been able to produce my best tennis in consistent number of times in the year, and that's that simple. I have produced some fair, consistent tennis against Tsitsipas, though.

Q. Would you say it's been your best year would you say consistency-wise?

NICK KYRGIOS: Not really. I was once 13 in the world. I just don't play enough I think at the moment to really be an established top-10 player, like I would have to be going deep every week.

So as I said, like, I don't even look at rankings. I felt like the favorite today. And as Ben does this (nodding head) I know he did too.

Q. Obviously you have had all of Stefanos' words pitching out and you have responded, but do you wish that he came up to you in the locker room man to man to do it instead?

NICK KYRGIOS: He's never doing that. I just don't understand what I did -- I don't know what I did today. To start there, I actually don't know what I -- like I did nothing towards him. I didn't think I was aggressive towards him.

I wasn't hitting balls at his face. I don't know. I don't know what the big -- I didn't feel like there was any anger. I had no anger towards Stef today on the match. I don't know where it's coming from, to be honest.

I think he was angry, because when he hit the ball out of the stadium, it was directed at his box. Obviously they had some friction, and obviously when you start losing and losing to me again, you get angry.

I can officially say I have never given a handshake like that in my life. Every time I've lost, when I defaulted against Casper Ruud, I looked people in the eye and I say, Well done today, you were the better man, and he wasn't man enough to do that today.

So he's not going to come up to me in the locker room and say anything.

Q. Do you think you will try to do that to him or is it his problem to come to you if he does have a problem?

NICK KYRGIOS: What was that, sorry?

Q. Would you go up to him now and confront him about the bully comment, or do you think it's for him to come up to you if he has an issue?

NICK KYRGIOS: No. I'm not going to confront anyone about anything. That's not bullying. I have been like -- that's not bullying, anyway.

But, yeah, I hope that he -- I don't know. I don't know why he's so hurt.