The usually genteel atmosphere at the Melbourne club – one of the bastions of grasscourt traditions – was punctured for the day as the injury-prone Australian enjoyed a rare win
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he sign at the Kooyong Lawn Tennis Club reads “dress code applies”, but on Tuesday the rules were relaxed. Thousands from all walks of life streamed into the leafy grounds in Melbourne’s inner east to enjoy the first day of the Kooyong Classic, where Nick Kyrgios brought his own brand of tennis to the storied Australian Open warmup event.
The 30-year-old announced on Friday he would not be playing singles at Melbourne Park, but he had already committed to Kooyong as he works his way back into shape. So under cloudy skies in Melbourne’s mid-afternoon, he found himself across the net from Chinese former world No 31 Zhang Zhizhen, now ranked 362, and returning from injury himself.
Kooyong Lawn Tennis Club was the home of the Australian Open between 1972 and 1987 and is – outside Wimbledon – a bastion of tennis’s grasscourt traditions. Learner Tien, the 20-year-old American who has quickly climbed the rankings, admitted after his earlier match he had never seen as many grass courts in one place, outside SW19.
