WIMBLEDON, England - Nick Kyrgios's month in England has been the greatest success of his young career, and many people will wonder if he is a flash in a pan. No, Kyrgios is the real deal.
A 19-year-old Australian, Kyrgios lost to Milos Raonic in four sets Wednesday in the quarterfinals of Wimbledon after dismantling Rafael Nadal on Centre Court a day earlier.
Wednesday's loss ended a 12-match winning streak after he won the Challenger event in Nottingham, which enabled him to receive a wild card into Wimbledon despite being ranked 144th. Kyrgios's wild ride also included saving nine match points in the second round against 13th-seeded Richard Gasquet, winning the fifth set by 10-8.
At 6-foot-5, Kyrgios is the prototype of the modern player and has potent weapons, especially with his serve and forehand.
His serve was especially jaw-dropping on the grass. Kyrgios was second in aces through the quarterfinals, with 128. Raonic led the way with 147.
Kyrgios had 37 aces against Nadal and had five second-serve aces in five matches, for good measure. An average of 40 percent of his serves went unreturned for the tournament during an era being dominated by the returner. His fluid motion seems effortless and holds up under pressure. He had only 15 double faults in 115 service games.
His fastest serve was 133 miles per hour, and he averaged 118 m.p.h. His fastest second serve was 118 m.p.h., with an average of 95 m.p.h. That is likely going to win a lot of matches over the next 10-plus years.
Even with such a big serve, Kyrgios made a remarkable 70 percent of first serves, winning 75 percent of the points. He also won 53 percent of second-serve points.
Kyrgios's other big weapon is his forehand, which is hit with heavy spin to keep his massive power under control. According to IBM statistics, he hit 104 forehand winners in the tournament, more than Roger Federer (45) and Novak Djokovic (45) combined. Raonic has 67, Dimitrov 59 and Nadal 85.
Adding to his artillery, Kyrgios's ultra-flat backhand is also incredibly effective, especially short and angled cross court. He hit 47 backhand winners, just behind Djokovic's 49. Raonic has 23, Federer 26, Dimitrov 27 and Andy Murray 32.
If there is an area of Kyrgios's game that could use improvement, it is his willingness to come to the net to finish points behind his huge groundstrokes. He won a healthy 64 percent of his net points (81 of 126), but only came forward 17 times against Raonic and 16 times against Nadal. Kyrgios won 45 percent of baseline points, but Djokovic, Nadal and Murray were each at least 50 percent and above.
Overall, Kyrgios won 739 points at Wimbledon, and each one providing experience that will serve him well for years to come. His 13 hours 43 minutes on court here gave him an invaluable base to build upon for future Grand Slam tournaments.
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