Nick Kyrgios is bringing something different to tennis but what he means to the sport is anyone’s guess

Just before lunch on Friday, Melburnians faced their latest round of unpleasant news: at midnight, the city would enter a strict lockdown for five days.

Some made panicked trips to the shops, others savoured a final restaurant meal or checked in on loved ones.

The luckiest few thousand were glued to their seats inside Melbourne Arena, watching Nick Kyrgios breathe fire for three-and-a-half hours.

As most experts predicted, Kyrgios lost to world No.3 Dominic Thiem.

As few anticipated, it went to five sets and the Australian could and probably should have won it.

The gulf between the pair right now is not just in rankings points but fitness and personal philosophy.