Nakashima

As Nick Kyrgios continued his blazing run through the Wimbledon draw by reaching the quarter-finals in London for the first time since his breakout ...

“I need a glass of wine for sure tonight,” he said. “I was bouncing the ball before I served. But I definitely feel like a bit of a veteran now.” “That’s probably the first time in my career where I wasn’t playing well, regardless of playing Centre Court Wimbledon, fully packed crowd, I was able to just say, ‘Wow, look how far I’ve come,’ to myself,” the 27-year-old said. I’m just thinking about my habits every day, just trying to put in a good performance on the court, then put in a good practice session, try to stay positive.” “I’m not thinking about lifting a trophy or making semi-finals or making the final.

Nick Kyrgios says "so many people will be upset" he has reaches the Wimbledon quarter-finals, but says it is a "good feeling" to silence his critics.

He was starting to get on top of me," said Kyrgios. "I have a massive chip on my shoulder. "I almost knew that it was time for my body to start feeling some niggles. I think that's normal. I knew he was in a rhythm. "I've played a lot of tennis in the past month and a half and I'm proud of the way I steadied the ship."

Kyrgios suffers a shoulder injury in his last-16 match against Brandon Nakashima but battles through five sets to reach the quarters.

That did not stop him fighting his way back for a tie-break, despite continually needing medical treatment in between games, in the third set. The pain relief was obviously short-lived nonetheless; with seven games of the third set down, he added: “It’s not going away, at all”. It did not throw him off, though, as he powered past Nakashima with an ace and held to seal the set. Umpire Nico Helwerth had been watching him and after consultation with the physio, he was no longer the deflated Kyrgios that had looked in danger of retiring before the second set was out, also nursing his lower back. A lob that should have troubled Nakashima was overhit too and in turn, Kyrgios’ opponent went for the ace to test just how well the Australian would hold up. Yet from the moment the Australian began clutching his shoulder, he was moving gingerly and chinks in his armour had started to show.

An angelic Nick Kyrgios reached his first Grand Slam quarter-final for seven years when he recovered from a slow start to beat steady American Brandon ...

I'm going to need a glass of wine tonight for sure." "I've never lost a fifth set here. Register now for FREE unlimited access to Reuters.com