Federer: Kyrgios 'tanking' was a smart tactic

Australian Nick Kyrgios was accused of not trying in his defeat to Richard Gasquet. Photo / AP

Aussie tennis brat Nick Kyrgios caused a stir at Wimbledon with his petulant performance against Richard Gasquet from France.

But he's received strong backing from the legendary Roger Federer, generally regarded as one of the classiest players in tennis history.

Kyrgios gave up in one of the Gasquet service games - he "tanked" in the sporting parlance, causing outrage.

But Federer says it was a legitimate tactic, and that young players in particular can suffer emotional falls during matches.

"It's like a boxer, when he puts his hands down - is that tanking?," Federer reckoned.

"I just watched the end of the third and the end of the fourth - he was fighting then. So in my opinion it was a great match and it was close. The fans got their money's worth.

"One game to me is part of tactics...sometimes to throw the other guy off. Maybe you can be frustrated and just not feel like it for a couple of points.

"For younger guys, it's a little bit boring at times, which I understand."

Kyrgios denied tanking at a press conference and Federer said he should be taken at his word.