Nick Kyrgios lost to Rafael Nadal after spending the night at the pub, then had an 'awkward' moment with a female reporter who had been there too

Alan Dawson

Jul 5, 2019, 15:57 IST

Nick Kyrgios lost to Rafael Nadal after spending the night at the pub, then had an 'awkward' moment with a female reporter who had been there too

Kyrgios was in good form after his Nadal loss.

"You were at the pub last night!"
Those were the words pf Nick Kyrgios, who busted a journalist who had been with him, friends, fans, and other members of the media at the Dog & Fox pub one night before the Australian's Wimbledon loss to Rafael Nadal.
The late night failed to fully put Kyrgios off his game, as he gave a good account of himself in his second round loss.
In the post-match press conference, however, he clapped back at a reporter who asked if he would have played better had he not been in the pub the night before.
Shortly after, he recognized a female journalist from the Dog & Fox, saying: "This is awkward."
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Nick Kyrgios lost to Rafael Nadal after spending the night at the pub, then said it was "awkward" when he saw a female reporter who had been there too.

Kyrgios has been the subject of countless headlines throughout his short stint at the 2019 Wimbledon Championships this week.

The 24-year-old met fellow Australian player Jordan Thompson in the first round on Tuesday, taking three hours and 26 minutes to win a match he could arguably have triumphed in far earlier had he not hit insisted on hitting pointless tweeners into the net.

On Wednesday night he was then seen holding court with friends, fans, and reporters at the Dog & Fox pub, even though he had a blockbuster bout against men's singles rival Rafael Nadal the following day. One journalist said he was "chatting to girls, drinking."

Regardless of those off-court exploits, he remained competitive against Nadal, frustrating the Spaniard with underarm serving, powerful winners, and even taking aim at the veteran player's chest with one 100-mile-per-hour return.

Nadal won after a confusing, wild, but brilliant second round match on Centre Court. Kyrgios shook his hand, then headed into a post-match press conference where he continued his fine form.

There, he clapped back at a reporter who asked if he would have performed better had he not been out drinking the night before, then spotted someone he recognized - Lucia Hoffman, a freelance writer for Inside Tennis magazine.

A smiling Kyrgios said: "You were at the pub last night," pointing at Hoffman, who replied by saying: "Oh yes, I know," much to the delight of the room. Hoffman then joked: "You are ruining my reputation!"

Kyrgios wagged while the room was filled with laughter. He said, "okay, okay, that's hilarious," while smiling. Then, when Hoffman was ready to ask her question, he suddenly looked shy and said: "This is awkward."

Hoffman finally asked: "You serve and volley really well and it's really hard to do against Rafa, how did you feel about it?"

Kyrgios, who had mercilessly trolled the "salty" Nadal in recent months, gave his opponent his dues. "He's just a tough player to serve against. Where he stands is difficult because he almost wants you to go wide. He stands so far behind the baseline, and makes a lot of returns."

Nadal, having beaten Kyrgios, advanced into the third round of the men's singles bracket and faces the French player Jo-Wilfried Tsonga on Saturday.

Kyrgios, meanwhile, returns to the grass courts today, Friday, as he partners up with the American player Desirae Krawczyk for a mixed doubles bout against Marcus Daniell and Jennifer Brady.