Nick Kyrgios is roaring again in tennis after some months of a lull in his game. He had a good start to the campaign, reaching the fourth round of Australian Open. Off the court too he carried out some significant humanitarian work. The Aussie even raised a bunch of money for the bushfire relief through his aces (he hit 150 aces during the Slam).

He struggled last year, falling as low as No. 52, midway through last year. But he has now returned to the the top 20 in the ATP Rankings of the world. He now sits at the No. 20 spot.

A change in Nick Kyrgios

Kyrgios faced Rafael Nadal in the fourth round of the Australian Open, and surprisingly, he took no potshots at the Spaniard before, during(remember Wimbledon?) or after the match.

In fact, he admitted to having a “layer of respect” for Nadal, something that has not always been the case.

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But this was more than that, I felt a sense of determination in Kyrgios. Not to say he has never been determined, it just fluctuated with every point he played.

This time around though, he looked tuned-in on every point. We know now that the bushfire disaster the continent is going through, affected him. He even quit eating meat and dairy because of it. Perhaps now we can argue it affected him much more deeply than initially thought.

Nick definitely did his part to help ease the pain and suffering caused by it. He was hailed for his efforts towards the welfare of the bushfire victims. He has also confirmed he will continue to donate money with every ace he serves for another couple of months.

Could be, for once Nick felt the entire nation behind him, supporting him unanimously, urging him to do his best. He faced Karen Khachanov of Russia in the third round. The match went the distance, as both big hitters pounded the ball, pushing each other hard.

In a match like this, even a small disturbance can put Kyrgios off. If it does, you’ll see the worst of Kyrgios as he starts exuding indifference towards the match. He will often drop an entire set in a jiffy if he doesn’t feel like it.

But against Khachanov, even an argument with the chair umpire did not pull at the thread that is Nick’s mentality. He continued with the same intensity throughout the match and eventually triumphed.

Back in the top 20

Kyrgios started the year off ranked No. 30, but has now climbed back into the top 20 of the tennis rankings. He was last in there back in August 2018, more than 15 months ago.

Not everyone loves Nick Kyrgios, and with good reason. He refuses to adhere to social norms and often shows little concern towards the sport. He once even claimed he only played tennis for the money.

But you simply cannot deny he plays some unfathomable tennis at times.

I do not mind Nick’s unpredictability and refusal to bow down to the expectations of society. I applaud it. But I do not like when he disrespects his fellow players or the sport.

This year, he looks to have turned a corner. He might just make me eat my words in the very next event, but it’s good to have faith sometimes.

He recently had a few things to say about himself.

“Playing my tennis has never really been a problem, I just feel like I just have to sort a couple of things out off the court. I guess the last couple of months is really, I’ve just gained a lot of perspective. It’s all been a big experience, obviously, with everything going on, but I just want to continue to go on the right path.”

Nick also had some self-realization, although he has had before too.

“I’ve got a couple of tournaments in the next month, so I’m just going to try to be better every day. I think if I get better as a human, I think the tennis will just follow, so I guess that showed in the Aussie summer.”

If he does indeed keep it up, surely we are all in for a treat. Everybody wins, except his opponents, if Nick turns up on the court to play serious tennis.