Chelsea Samways was pictured partying with World number 20 Nick Kyrgios. Photo / Instagram
Chelsea Samways was pictured partying with World number 20 Nick Kyrgios. Photo / Instagram
A rising British tennis star who was photographed partying with Aussie Nick Kyrgios until 3am - hours after he crashed out of Wimbledon - is in big trouble with her father.
Chelsea Samways was pictured partying with World number 20 Kyrgios after he pulled out of his first round matchon Monday with a hip injury after just 65 minutes.
But 18-year-old Ms Samways won't be having too many late nights in the near future. Her father Lawrence Samways said "Chelsea's grounded".
"My daughter is only 18 and a sweet girl. She's been out all time of the night. I don't like it. So I've taken her car away. She won't be going out like that again," he told Britain's Daily Mail.
Pictures of 22-year-old Kyrgios, Ms Samways and Australian-born rising tennis star Monique Belovukovic, also 18, outside Cirque Le Soir in London's Soho district at 3am emerged on Tuesday, hours after he pulled the pin on his first round match after two sets.
Mr Samways said he wanted to "knock out" Kyrgios for getting involved with his daughter, who "sneaked out" to meet him.
He said he had no idea she was going out, and didn't want "any of this nonsense" to get in the way of her tennis career.
"I had no idea she was going out with Kyrgios. Like all young tennis players, she knows the others on the circuit and she is friends with Monique [Belovukovic]. And she [Monique Belovukovic] knows Kyrgios."
The proud father continued: "Chelsea has been playing tennis since she was four years old. She is very committed. She's done everything to get to the top of her sport - training, exercise, diet.
"She's just has won a scholarship to a university in Florida to play tennis. She has got the visa and everything.
Kyrgios has been in a relationship with Croatian-Australian tennis player Ajla Tomljanovic for more than a year, but she did not appear to be with him in London this week.
Tomljanovic, who is not competing at the tournament, is still believed to be dating Kyrgios.
There has been speculation over the pair's relationship after he shared a photo of them on his Instagram page six days ago, saying he "missed my lil (sic) coach".
The headlines came in the wake of numbers that confirm Kyrgios's chronic hip injury needs urgent attention if the mercurial talent is to re-emerge as a Grand Slam tennis force.
Monique Belovukovic, a rising tennis star, was one of the girls pictured with Kyrgios. Photo / Instagram
As Kyrgios awaits results of an MRI scan after being forced to retire mid-match at a major for the second time in nine months, it can be revealed the 22-year-old's failing body has cost him one of the most enviable records in the game.
Before his hip issue surfaced ahead of last year's US Open, Kyrgios won 20 from 20 matches against unseeded or lower-ranked opponents at the slams. Not even all-time greats Roger Federer, Rafael Nadal or Novak Djokovic could boast such reliability.
But since battling the problem, which hinders his ability to push off for his explosive serve and "virtually everything" else he tries on the court, Kyrgios has crashed out of the past four grand slams to lower-ranked rivals.
The world No. 20 has failed to progress beyond even the third round in falling to Ilya Marchenko, Andreas Seppi, Kevin Anderson and Pierre-Hugues Herbert on his most recent visits to New York, Melbourne, Paris and Wimbledon.
With Kyrgios reluctant to undergo surgery, former Australian Davis Cup captain and world No. 1 John Newcombe is advising the Canberran to embark on a rigorous fitness regime to transform his brittle body.
"You've got to look back over the last couple of years. It was okay when Nick was 18 and 19, but he hasn't been working as hard as he should," Newcombe said. "With his build, he needs to really have strong muscles and ligaments around all the joints.
"And because he's not strong enough, they're breaking down as he's entering his 20s.
"We saw it with Mark (Philippoussis) that the joints started to break down, a little bit later because Mark did do some work at different times.
"Nick can play a five-set match, but the body's not strong enough to hold the joints together at the arm and the shoulder and the knees and the hips.
"So you're getting constantly a breakdown because the support structure is not there.
"Nick needs to take a couple of months and find the best trainer he can and make a dedicated effort to himself: 'I'm going to get as fit as I possibly can'. If he does, he's top five, six in the world."
He may have lost credibility with his Wimbledon antics, but countryman Bernard Tomic climbed to his career-high ranking after undergoing double hip surgery three years ago and is encouraging Kyrgios to also bite the bullet.
"He just needs to do it because there is a lot of players that have done it - Raonic, Lleyton, myself," Tomic said.
"He needs it done because he's serving and he's an explosive player and he's using those hips and legs. I feel he has to put aside a couple months.
"I was out for five months. He's not doing two hips, I believe. One shouldn't be a problem. Should be back enjoying tennis in a couple months."
