Recent meetings with Nadal have been laced with acrimony but here the
Australian was on his best behaviour in defeatNick Kyrgios invariably plays his best tennis when he generates his own drama rather than when someone else writes the script – like an army of moralists poring over his every twitch. He is dangerous when his muscles are warm and loose, and his head clear. He feeds off good vibes and suffers when railing against demons, real and perceived.
![Nick Kyrgios goes for broke in tennis punch-up but ends on the floor | Kevin Mitchell](https://i.guim.co.uk/img/media/d0583af96c0e6767e86ea095aed6db06eae5d24e/0_107_3229_1938/master/3229.jpg?width=1200&height=630&quality=85&auto=format&fit=crop&overlay-align=bottom%2Cleft&overlay-width=100p&overlay-base64=L2ltZy9zdGF0aWMvb3ZlcmxheXMvdGctZGVmYXVsdC5wbmc&enable=upscale&s=b7b28661f7a1538ee009e2852e0031ac)
What mixed baggage, then, he took on to Rod Laver Arena on Monday night against
Rafael Nadal, whom he respects but does not regard with particular affection. That was the edginess punters came to witness. They wanted a tennis punch-up. They got one of the best contests of the first eight days, and a Nadal victory in four sets: 6-3, 3-6, 7-6 (6), 7-6 (4).