Wimbledon 2022: Nick Kyrgios admits he ‘threw away’ service game in win over Brandon Nakashima

Nick Kyrgios defeated American Brandon Nakashima in five sets to move on to the quarterfinal round at Wimbledon – the second time he has reached the stage at the tournament.

Kyrgios has not drawn a favorable reaction to his style and the emotional way he has played the game, and his recent comments about his strategy in the win over Nakashima are sure to ruffle more feathers.

The Aussie won 4-6, 6-4, 7-6 (7), 3-6, 6-2 and will face Chilean Cristian Garin in the next round. Kyrgios said he “threw away” the fourth set because he knew Nakashima was on a roll.

“I knew from the get-go I wasn’t playing as well as I would have liked. I wasn’t feeling the ball like I was against (Stefanos) Tsitsipas or (Filip) Krajinović, so I knew I had to just keep my head down and battle today. It was a good mental performance,” Kyrgios said.

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“At the end of the fourth, complete rope-a-dope tactic. I just threw away that service game, because I knew he was in a rhythm. He was starting to get on top of me and I kinda just wanted to throw him off a little bit. It worked.”

Kyrgios is likely to be fined again for breaking Wimbledon’s all-white dress code. He did not appear to be too concerned about the rules when asked about the way he dressed. Players are supposed to wear white from the time they step onto the court to the time they leave. Kyrgios entered the court with red shoes before playing Nakashima.

“It’s more attention for me. What’s that saying? Any publicity is good publicity, right? I sit here now in the quarterfinals of Wimbledon again, and I just know there’s so many people that are so upset. It’s a good feeling,” he said.

Kyrgios’ match with Garin is set for Wednesday.