Michael Venus and Nick Kyrgios face off in a transtasman doubles quarter-final clash. Photos / Getty
Michael Venus and Nick Kyrgios face off in a transtasman doubles quarter-final clash. Photos / Getty
Five things to know ahead of the transtasman quarter-final clash between Kiwi Michael Venus and German partner Tim Pütz and Aussie wildcards Nick Kyrgios and Thanasi Kokkinakis.
When Michael met Nick …
Michael Venus first met Nick Kyrgios at senior level a decade ago.
Those matches will be long forgottennow, as their careers have diverged significantly since, but Venus faced off against the Kyrgios in the semifinals of an Australian Futures tournament in October 2012.
The Kiwi beat the 17-year-old Kyrgios 7-6 (4), 6-3, on his way to winning the final.
Former New Zealand Davis Cup representative Simon Rea played a notable part in Kyrgios' rise, as the coach who took him from World No 840 to No 66.
Rea was by his side for Kyrgios' famous breakthrough at Wimbledon, where he became the first male player to reach the quarter-finals at his first attempt in a decade.
Kyrgios took down 13th seed Richard Gasquet in the second round, coming back from two sets down and saving nine match points before claiming the scalp of world No 1 Rafael Nadal in the fourth round.
Beating the big three
At one stage, Kyrgios had a remarkable record against the big three of men's tennis.
After beating Nadal at Wimbledon in their initial clash, the Canberra-born player also got the better of both Roger Federer and Novak Djokovic the first time he faced them across the net.
Only two others had achieved that feat (Dominik Hrbarty and Lleyton Hewitt) but Kyrgios' achievement was much more meritorious, as he played Nadal and Djokovic at their peaks, while Federer was ranked No 2 when Kyrgios toppled him in Madrid in 2015.
Kyrgios holds a 2-0 record over Djokovic, having beaten him twice in the 2017 season, but has slipped to 3-5 against Nadal and 1-6 versus the Swiss master.
Tim Puetz of Germany and Michael Venus of New Zealand talk tactics. Photo / Getty
Like many singles exponents, Kyrgios infrequently plays doubles, usually at Grand Slams or Masters events.
He has one title in the team game, achieved with former ASB Classic champion Jack Sock in Lyon in 2018. Kyrgios has compiled a respectable 44-48 win loss record in doubles.
In contrast Venus has 16 career doubles titles, highlighted by the French Open triumph in 2017 (with Ryan Harrison) and the Paris Masters victory last year with current partner Tim Pütz .
The New Zealander has also reached another 15 finals, including the Wimbledon decider in 2018 (with Raven Klaasen) and Masters events in Canada and Rome. Venus is 236-166 across his doubles career.
Controversy corner
Kyrgios has been embroiled in dramas across his career, which has no doubt detracted from his ability to reach his potential.
One of the most notable was at the 2019 Cincinnati Masters, where he was fined an ATP record of US$113,000 after swearing at an umpire on multiple occasions, smashing two racquets in a dressing room corridor on a supposed toilet break and appearing to spit in the direction of the umpire's chair at the conclusion of the match, when he also refused to shake the officials' hand.
Kyrgios was also handed a lengthy ban for "tanking" (not trying) during a bizarre 48-minute defeat at the 2016 Shanghai Masters to then 110th ranked Mischa Zverev, not to mention his infamous sledge directed towards Stan Wawrinka (about the Swiss player's personal life) at the 2015 Rogers Cup, for which he received a 28-day ban and a another fine.
Kyrgios has previously admitted to tanking on multiple occasions during his rollercoaster career.
