LONDON // Nick Kyrgios believes he can claim another famous victory when the rising Australian star faces French Open champion Stan Wawrinka in the Queen’s Club first round.
Kyrgios has emerged as one of the most promising talents on the ATP Tour over the last 12 months and he has another opportunity to underline his vast potential by defeating Swiss second seed Wawrinka at the Wimbledon warm-up event, which starts on Monday in west London.
Wawrinka is fresh from his surprise French Open final victory over world No 1 Novak Djokovic but, true to his ultra-confident demeanour, Kyrgios sees no reason why he can't add Wawrinka to the growing list of top players who have fallen to the flamboyant Canberra-born youngster.
The 20-year-old, ranked 25th in the world, has the big serve and powerful groundstrokes to thrive on grass courts, as he showed in a stunning victory over Rafael Nadal at Wimbledon last year.
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He built on that breakthrough success by reaching the Australian Open quarter-finals earlier this year and also defeated Roger Federer in the Madrid Masters.
“It’s unbelievable I think, to have an opportunity to play Wawrinka after he won the French Open. It’s really exciting,” Kyrgios said.
“I didn’t think that anyone was going to get close to Djokovic. Stan just played unbelievably. It was extraordinary tennis.
“He hits the ball massive, he doesn’t really play with any fear so I can see some similarities to me, but I think our games are a little bit different.
“I’m feeling really confident but we’ll see how it goes, I’m just going to go out there, play my game, have fun and if I lose, I lose, if I win, I win.”
Kyrgios described himself as “just an ordinary teenager” during last year’s Wimbledon run and that youthful exuberance, which has sometimes got under the skin of opponents, shows no signs of abating.
“Every time I come here it’s hard not to think about what happened last year, but I’d like to think I’ve done a lot of good things since then as well which also boost my confidence and just give me more motivation to keep training hard as well,” Kyrgios said.
“Sometimes I get recognised now, but I don’t know if it’s for tennis or the hair to be honest!
“I like to have fun. I bought a scooter today, I’ve been telling everyone; I’m pretty excited about that.
“It’s the sort of thing you’d be flying around on when you are 10, but it’s been fun.”
While Kyrgios refuses to show any deference to the world’s top players on court, he still has a healthy respect for those who have spent so long at the highest level, especially a compatriot like Lleyton Hewitt.
Four-time Queen’s champion Hewitt is embarking on his final grass-court campaign before retiring after next year’s Australian Open and Kyrgios saluted him for helping the next generation of Australian stars.
“He’s left an unbelievable legacy, he’s one of the greatest competitors of all time,” Kyrgios said.
“He’s gone through injuries where normal people would have shut it down, and he’s come back.
“I thought last year for him to win Brisbane and Newport, to win two titles at that age and to continue to play at that level is extraordinary.
“He’s a great leader for us as well in Davis Cup, when he trains he’s always 110 per cent, always pushing us and making sure we’re doing all the right things.
“He’s massive for the development of all the younger guys.”
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TRAP
Starring: Josh Hartnett, Saleka Shyamalan, Ariel Donaghue
Director: M Night Shyamalan
Rating: 3/5
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Four motivational quotes from Alicia's Dubai talk
“The only thing we need is to know that we have faith. Faith and hope in our own dreams. The belief that, when we keep going we’re going to find our way. That’s all we got.”
“Sometimes we try so hard to keep things inside. We try so hard to pretend it’s not really bothering us. In some ways, that hurts us more. You don’t realise how dishonest you are with yourself sometimes, but I realised that if I spoke it, I could let it go.”
“One good thing is to know you’re not the only one going through it. You’re not the only one trying to find your way, trying to find yourself, trying to find amazing energy, trying to find a light. Show all of yourself. Show every nuance. All of your magic. All of your colours. Be true to that. You can be unafraid.”
“It’s time to stop holding back. It’s time to do it on your terms. It’s time to shine in the most unbelievable way. It’s time to let go of negativity and find your tribe, find those people that lift you up, because everybody else is just in your way.”
FFP EXPLAINED
What is Financial Fair Play?
Introduced in 2011 by Uefa, European football’s governing body, it demands that clubs live within their means. Chiefly, spend within their income and not make substantial losses.
What the rules dictate?
The second phase of its implementation limits losses to €30 million (Dh136m) over three seasons. Extra expenditure is permitted for investment in sustainable areas (youth academies, stadium development, etc). Money provided by owners is not viewed as income. Revenue from “related parties” to those owners is assessed by Uefa's “financial control body” to be sure it is a fair value, or in line with market prices.
What are the penalties?
There are a number of punishments, including fines, a loss of prize money or having to reduce squad size for European competition – as happened to PSG in 2014. There is even the threat of a competition ban, which could in theory lead to PSG’s suspension from the Uefa Champions League.
DEADPOOL & WOLVERINE
Starring: Ryan Reynolds, Hugh Jackman, Emma Corrin
Director: Shawn Levy
Rating: 3/5
Company%20Profile
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BEETLEJUICE BEETLEJUICE
Starring: Winona Ryder, Michael Keaton, Jenny Ortega
Director: Tim Burton
Rating: 3/5
Know your Camel lingo
The bairaq is a competition for the best herd of 50 camels, named for the banner its winner takes home
Namoos - a word of congratulations reserved for falconry competitions, camel races and camel pageants. It best translates as 'the pride of victory' - and for competitors, it is priceless
Asayel camels - sleek, short-haired hound-like racers
Majahim - chocolate-brown camels that can grow to weigh two tonnes. They were only valued for milk until camel pageantry took off in the 1990s
Millions Street - the thoroughfare where camels are led and where white 4x4s throng throughout the festival
How to protect yourself when air quality drops
Install an air filter in your home.
Close your windows and turn on the AC.
Shower or bath after being outside.
Wear a face mask.
Stay indoors when conditions are particularly poor.
If driving, turn your engine off when stationary.
The five pillars of Islam
Company%20Profile
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Company profile
Name: The Concept
Founders: Yadhushan Mahendran, Maria Sobh and Muhammad Rijal
Based: Abu Dhabi
Founded: 2017
Number of employees: 7
Sector: Aviation and space industry
Funding: $250,000
Future plans: Looking to raise $1 million investment to boost expansion and develop new products