Australia's Nick Kyrgios lies on the ground after defeating Chile's Cristian Garin during a men's singles quarterfinal a Wimbledon. Photo / AP
Australia's Nick Kyrgios lies on the ground after defeating Chile's Cristian Garin during a men's singles quarterfinal a Wimbledon. Photo / AP
Aussie star Ajla Tomljanovic has called out the tennis media after she was hit with questions about her romance with Nick Kyrgios immediately after her crushing quarter-final defeat.
Tomljanovic's scintillating Wimbledon campaign came to a stuttering end in a three-set defeat against Elena Rybakina on Wednesday night.
The Aussie looked on her way to bettering last year's run to the quarter-finals when she took the first set but the wheels fell off from there in a 4-6 6-2 6-3 defeat.
But instead of her tennis, the 29-year-old was asked about her former relationship with Kyrgios - and the assault charges he's expected to face in Canberra relating to an incident with ex-girlfriend Chiara Passari last year.
Australia's Nick Kyrgios lies on the ground after defeating Chile's Cristian Garin during a men's singles quarterfinal a Wimbledon. Photo / AP
Tomljanovic and Kyrgios dated for two years before breaking up in 2017.
In a post-match interview, Tomljanovic was asked about her "experience" with Kyrgios.
"I'm not really aware of what's being said," she replied, but still the reporter continued, explaining the allegations that Kyrgios is facing.
Tomljanovic shut the line of questioning down, saying: "It's been a while since our relationship ended. Obviously I've always kept my relationship very private. I would like to keep it like that.
"I'm definitely against domestic violence. I hope it gets resolved. But I haven't had that experience with him."
Kyrgios' legal team said he is taking the allegation of common assault "very seriously".
Tomljanovic later tweeted her disappointment in the line of questioning. "Quite disappointing that after almost 2 hours of playing my quarterfinals that that was the first question the journalist chose to ask me, and never proceeded to ask anything match related," she wrote. "Glad to see headlines mostly about that now. Do better."
Kyrgios reaches first Grand Slam semifinal
Nick Kyrgios was dressed in all white and was all business as he defeated Cristian Garin to earn a spot in his first grand slam semifinal.
After a minor controversy over his snubbing of the tournament's strict dress code at his fourth round match – where he wore a pair of red shoes and a red cap before and after the clash – Kyrgios played by the rules this time.
He entered Court 1 in the appropriate attire and was the man for the occasion in a 6-4 6-3 7-6 victory that came without any major outbursts.
Ajla Tomljanovic of Australia in action against Elena Rybakina during the quarter-finals at Wimbledon. Photo / Getty
"I just never thought I'd be at a semifinal of a grand slam," Kyrgios said in his on-court interview. "I thought my ship had sailed. Obviously didn't always go about things great earlier in my career and may have wasted that little window ... but I'm really proud of the way I've come back."
Kyrgios, who shot to fame when he defeated Rafael Nadal as a 144th-ranked wild card eight years ago, is the first Australian man into the semis at Wimbledon since Lleyton Hewitt in 2005.
But his breakthrough grand slam tournament has been mired in controversy after it was revealed he will face an assault charge connected to an incident with an ex-girlfriend.
The 27-year-old was asked about the allegations after the match.
"I have a lot of thoughts and things I want to say, my side of it," Kyrgios said. "But I've been advised by my lawyers that I can't say anything about it at this time."
Garin ensured the focus was solely on the tennis as he won the first eight points of the match to grab an early break and a 2-0 lead.
But it wasn't long before the Aussie star found his feet and he broke back to level the game at 3-3.
Kyrgios showed signs of frustration after blowing a 0-30 advantage in the eighth game and had to fight out of a 15-40 hole to hold serve and move ahead 5-4.
But he broke Garin to love in the following game to grab the first set 6-4.
Before this tournament the Chilean had played two matches on grass in 2022 and lost them both.
Garin's lack of expertise on Kyrgios' best surface began to show as his attempts at drop shots backfired and he fell behind 3-1 in the second set.
Kyrgios wasn't completely rock solid on serve but Garin was unable to break as he fell behind two sets to love, 6-4 6-3.
The Chilean kept fighting in the third set, perhaps spurred by memories of fourth win against Alex de Minaur where he fought back from two sets down.
He didn't face a single break point in the third set but each time he made inroads on the Kyrgios serve he was met with aces as the set progressed to a tiebreak.
Kyrgios stole the advantage with a gorgeous drop shot winner before handing back the mini-break with a double fault.
Garin reeled off four consecutive points to turn a 1-3 deficit into a 5-3 lead. But Kyrgios turned the tide with a monster forehand return before coming to the net to win the next two points and go back ahead 6-5.
There was still time for one last moment of tension when a linesperson incorrectly called a Kyrgios shot out and was overruled but after a short outburst the Aussie held his nerve to secure the breaker 7-5.
Post-match, Garin declared Kyrgios could win the tournament.
"Of course. He's in the semi-finals," Garin said. "The way that he served today - I played all of the great servers in the tour - for me he has the best serve on tour. He has a great chance to win the tournament."
It was Kyrgios' first match since it was revealed he's facing an assault charge in his native Canberra related to an incident with an ex-girlfriend in December, 2021.
Kyrgios put on a show of unity with his new partner Costeen Hatzi in his morning training session at Wimbledon on Wednesday, holding hands as he made his way to a practice court and sharing kisses.
