Rising star Nick Kyrgios turns 22 today. Known for his pure talent as well as controversial behaviour, the 22-year-old is establishing himself as a formidable force in the world of tennis. He has already scored 12 wins over top-10 players, including Novak Djokovic, Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal. To celebrate his birthday, below are six things you may not know about the world No.16.
1) His mother is linked to the Malaysian royal family
Kyrgios was born on April 27th, 1995 in Canberra, Australia. He has a Greek father called George and Malaysian mother called Norlaila (Nill). His mother was actually a princess until her twenties. She is a member of the Selangor royal family, but renounced her title when she moved to Australia.
“Family and friends always asked if Nick would play in Malaysia when he was 16 or so and I said no,” Nill said in 2014 when her son played in Kuala Lumpur.
“But secretly I was hoping he would and I’m really happy, excited and proud now.
“I’ve invited all the royal side of my family to come over, I’m not sure if they will be there. All of my relatives are already waiting and cheering.”
2) Won 73% of matches played as a junior
During his teenage years, Kyrgios was a formidable force on the junior circuit. Out of the 144 singles matches he played, he won 105 of them. In 2013 he won the Australian Open boys title at the age of 16. The win elevated him to junior world No.1.
He also won the Wimbledon boys doubles titles two years in a row (2012 and 2013), becoming the third junior in history to do so.
3) He once said he preferred basketball to tennis
A somewhat controversial figure in tennis, the 22-year-old once said he preferred basketball to tennis. During his younger years, the Australian was a talented basketball player and continues to have a passion for the sport.
“I don’t really like the sport of tennis that much. I don’t love it. It was crazy when I was 14. I was all for basketball and I made the decision to play tennis. I got pushed by my parents and to this day I can still say I don’t love the sport,” he previously told British media.
4) First top-10 win was in a grand slam
Kyrgios achieved his first top-10 scalp at the age of 19 at the Wimbledon Championships. Facing top seed Rafael Nadal in the fourth round, 144th ranked Kyrgios shocked the Spaniard in four sets. At the time he became the first player ranked outside the top 100 to defeat a world No.1 in a grand slam since 1992.
“You’ve got to believe you can win the match from the start. I’ve been playing some incredible tennis on the grass. I didn’t know what to do when I won. I just turned to everyone who’s been supporting me my whole life. I love every single one of them. They get me over the line.” Kygios said about the win in 2014.
5) His Australian Open run to the quarter-final was a milestone
A five-set win over Italy’s Andreas Seppi at the 2015 Australian Open moved Kyrgios into a prestigious club. He is only the third Australian teenager to reach the quarter-finals of the men’s draw in Melbourne. Prior to him was Brad Drewett (1976) & Pat Cash (1982 and 1984).
6) He has hit 1771 aces on the ATP Tour
Known for his lightning serve on the tour, Kyrgios has produced 1771 aces in 1779 services he has played so far in his career. According to the ATP’s ‘serve rating,’ the Australian if the fourth most effective server on the men’s tour with a rating of 301.5. Only John Isner, Ivo Karlovic and Milos Raonic have performed better than him.
How the serve rating is calculated – add the four service metrics percentages plus the average number of aces per match and subtract the average number of double faults per match.
