Pandas, pokemon and pal Thanasi Kokkinakis are helping make it an enjoyable and productive Japanese week of adventure for Nick Kyrgios.
After winning two matches on Thursday in Tokyo’s Japan Open, Australia’s thriving No.1 is homing in on a title double, having powered into the quarter-final of the singles before also making the semi-finals of the doubles with Kokkinakis.
Indeed, Kyrgios reckons his latest successful outings with his ‘Special Ks’ partner, not to mention some fun off-court distractions, is helping make his week at the ATP 500 event feel quite reinvigorating.
“For sure, playing the doubles definitely helps,” Kyrgios told the ATP, before he and Kokkinakis defeated Spanish duo Pedro Martinez and Bernabe Zapata Miralles 7-5 6-4 to book their last-four place.
“Tennis is as stressful as hell in the singles. You try and hold yourself to such high accountability every time and you can be out here for three hours; it’s exhausting and so serious.
“So playing the doubles with Thanasi brings the fun element back, but at the same time, it’s my job. I need to make money and that’s how I do it, so I play both events.”
And when he finds the time during his busy schedule, Kyrgios and his team are enjoying the sights – and tastes – of Japan.
“Went to the Pokemon Centre the other day, went to the shrine, been doing some really fun things. We also went to the zoo, saw some pandas, Japan has been amazing,” said Kyrgios.
“The food too, we’ve gone out for dinner every night. It’s such a different culture, with different people, so fun to be around here, so different to Australia. It’s definitely an event I want to play pretty much to the end of my career.”
On Friday, Kyrgios is looking forward to a formidable challenge against rising American Taylor Fritz in the last-eight, while fancying his chances of going the whole way on the fast courts at the Ariaki Colosseum Arena in the Japanese capital.
Fritz, who’s at a career-high No.11 in the world, was far from his best as he laboured to a 6-1 3-6 6-4 win over home-based lucky loser Hiroki Moriya, perhaps still not at his sharpest after a week-long quarantine following his positive test for COVID-19 in South Korea.
But Kyrgios won’t be taking anything for granted against the man who knocked out his fellow Aussie James Duckworth in the previous round.
“Fritz is obviously an incredible player. He’s had a great year,” Kyrgios said. “He plays very aggressive, has a great serve and is very dangerous off both wings.”
Yet Canberra’s finest looks the man to beat on the strength of his come-from-behind 3-6 6-2 6-2 triumph over Poland’s Kamil Majchrzak, during which he reckoned he played “lights out” tennis after upping the aggression following his first-set sluggishness.
“I forgot how fast this court is and how big you can play on it,” said Kyrgios – but, once he remembered, he was unstoppable, powering down 22 aces and winning 84 per cent of his first-serve points in another ruthless demonstration of the best delivery in the game.
