Nick Kyrgios clinched a five-set thriller to pull Australia level with Belgium in the Davis Cup semi-finals on Friday, just hours after admitting he wasn’t taking tennis seriously enough.
The combustible Kyrgios came back from two sets to one down to defeat 33-year-old Steve Darcis 6-3, 3-6, 6-7 (5/7), 6-1, 6-2 in 3hr 36min on the clay courts of Brussels’ Palais 12 arena.
Kyrgios fired 34 aces and 41 winners to take his Davis Cup singles record to seven wins in eight, as Australia finished the day at 1-1 after world number 12 David Goffin had beaten 185-ranked John Millman 6-7 (4/7), 6-4, 6-3, 7-5.
Kyrgios, defeated in the first round of the US Open by compatriot Millman earlier this month, went into the match suffering a hip injury as well as a lack of motivation.
Writing on www.playersvoice.com, the 22-year-old said: “I am not the professional tennis needs me to be”.
“I’m not making the improvements I should because I don’t want it enough, I’m not taking it seriously enough.
- AFP