Nick Kyrgios fired groundstrokes across the net. He served up rockets. He grew frustrated. He swore. He smiled. He lashed out. He smacked his racket on the court.
This, of course, was all part of Kyrgios’s practice session on Monday.
Two days before Kyrgios lost in the first round of the U.S. Open, I watched the Australian practice with Alex De Minaur, an 18-year-old compatriot of Kyrgios who looks like he could have been Bar Mitzvah’d last week. Kyrgios’s practice sessions might be the most exhilarating show in tennis. Earlier this month, in Montreal, he played Butts Up with his hitting partner, Matt Reid, and agreed to rally with a random fan who asked on Twitter.