Nick Kyrgios has never been one to shy away from controversy, with his on-court behaviour often splitting opinion among fans and pundits alike.

Although he didn’t play singles, Kyrgios still featured in the men’s and mixed doubles competitions.

The former Wimbledon finalist teamed up with Thanasi Kokkinakis in the men’s doubles, but Kokkinakis appeared to be struggling physically as they exited in the first round.

In mixed doubles, Kyrgios paired up with Leylah Fernandez. One of their opponents, a Grand Slam champion, has since shared her thoughts on how he conducted himself during their match.

Desirae Krawczyk shares her thoughts on playing against Nick Kyrgios

Desirae Krawczyk, a four-time Grand Slam mixed doubles champion, was chasing the one major title that had eluded her – the Australian Open – alongside Neal Skupski.

They came close, holding three straight match points before falling to Kyrgios and Fernandez 6(6)-7 6-4 [12-10].

Krawczyk spoke about her experience facing them during an episode of The Players’ Box Podcast.

Despite the defeat, she described it as a “very entertaining match” and said Kyrgios was “actually pretty respectful.”

The two aren’t strangers on court. They teamed up for mixed doubles at Wimbledon back in 2019. Looking back, Krawczyk admitted she would rather play with Kyrgios than against him.

“Neal and I played against Nick Kyrgios and Leylah. That was a very entertaining match actually,” Krawczyk said.

“I did not know what to expect. Obviously he is quite the showman! It was really rowdy and I went out there and was like it’s not going to be that bad. Then I got out there and I was like I have never been in an environment like this and I was like woah. “But to be honest he did a good job. He wasn’t trying to get the crowd all riled up. He was actually pretty respectful.”

Krawczyk also recalled a standout moment from the contest. She added: “We lost in a nail-biter, sadly. But I did ace him, so that was my win and it was so satisfying.

What Nick Kyrgios has planned following the Australian Open

Nick Kyrgios has been dealing with a series of injuries over the past few years, raising questions about what lies ahead for his career.

He’s only managed to play seven singles matches since 2022, losing six of them along the way.

Kyrgios has spoken openly about the possibility of retiring soon, though he hasn’t given any indication of when that might happen.

This year, he opted out of singles at the Australian Open, saying he was fit but not yet ready for best-of-five-set matches.

There’s no word yet on where he’ll appear next, but Indian Wells and the Miami Open are realistic options.

Kyrgios picked up his first singles win since 2022 at last year’s Miami Open and could be eyeing a return there to build on that momentum.

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