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Daily Mirror
Daily Mirror
Sport
Neil McLeman

Nick Kyrgios fined for Wimbledon final behaviour in front of Prince George

Nick Kyrgios gave Prince George a front-row lesson in industrial language and then put on his red Nike baseball cap to accept his runners-up trophy from the Duchess of Cambridge.

The Aussie then said he “felt like he belonged” in a Grand Slam final but claimed: “I'm not supposed to be a Wimbledon finalist.”

Welcome to the crazy world of Nick Kyrgios who can go from the brilliant to the bizarre at the speed of his first serve in every match and press conference.

The world No.40 started superbly to take the first set in 31 minutes but was soon ranting against his box after losing five consecutive points from 40-0 on his serve before losing the third set.

That was after he had requested an over-served female spectator to be escorted from Centre Court. “The one with the dress, the one who looks like she's had about 700 drinks, bro!" he said. He was later fined $4,000 for an audible obscenity in front of royalty.

There is never a dull moment with Kyrgios. He sent down 30 aces - and one serve at 136mph - and an underarm serve amid a typically entertaining encounter where Djokovic simply proved to be too good.

In the immediate aftermath, asked by Sue Barker if this had given him the hunger for more finals, he shot back: “Absolutely not, I am so tired honestly. I definitely need a well-earned vacation after this one.”

It remains to be seen if serial underachiever Kyrgios, now 27, will now be a one-final wonder or a serial contender. His court appearance in Canberra next month, where he has been charged with assault by an ex-friend, will also have a big influence on his immediate future.

Later, he had another take. “I feel like if I had won today, I would have struggled with motivation,” Kyrgios claimed. “Coming back for other tournaments, I would have really struggled. I kind of achieved the greatest pinnacle of what you can achieve in tennis. But my level is right there. I felt like I belonged.”

But not quite. “I'm just not supposed to be here,” he continued. “I'm a kid from Canberra. I just feel ridiculous to be here talking as a Wimbledon finalist. This is just the example, like, anything's possible really. Someone like me is able to go out there and give Novak Djokovic, keep him out there for three hours in a Wimbledon final, it's pretty cool.”

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