Andy Murray undone as Nick Kyrgios shows why he is such a big crowd-pleaser in Hopman Cup

Aussie goes through his repertoire in Hopman Cup mixed team event victory

Andy Murray pictured during his defeat (GETTY IMAGES)

You can see why Nick Kyrgios is a big box-office attraction anywhere in the world – and especially in his home country. There was never a quiet moment here in a packed Perth Arena as the 20-year-old Australian overpowered Andy Murray in the Hopman Cup mixed team event.

If Kyrgios was not thrilling the crowd with his thunderous serves, booming ground strokes and outrageous drop shots on his way to a 6-4, 7-6 victory over the world No 2, he was entertaining them with his “slam-dunk” smashes, through-the-legs “tweeners” and shots played behind his back. He also had an exchange with a spectator, suggesting his barracker might want to “come down here” and show him how to play.

Even when Kyrgios was not on court, the cameras could not keep their lenses off him. During Heather Watson’s marathon 6-7, 6-2, 7-5 victory over Daria Gavrilova, Kyrgios watched from the sidelines while wearing a giant pair of orange headphones.

In the deciding mixed doubles, Kyrgios played some more stunning shots in a 6-2, 6-7, 11-9 victory for the home pair. Fittingly enough, the crowd favourite secured the victory in the champions’ tie-break just after midnight with an ace after the Britons had saved two match points.

Kyrgios’ sense of mischief was evident in his press conference following his singles. He has been without a coach since last summer, but Lleyton Hewitt, who has just taken over as Australia’s Davis Cup captain, has been mentoring the world No 30 and was helping him on the practice court earlier in the day. “I don’t have a coach but I did get certain tips from a certain someone before the match – and I’m not going to tell you who that is,” Kyrgios said with a smile.

He said he hoped the arrangement would continue and that “she” would “continue to keep giving me tips”.

The Hopman Cup is effectively an exhibition event, with no ranking points on offer and the results not counting towards players’ official records. Wednesday's result will be of no consequence to Murray, for whom this week is all about getting court time ahead of the Australian Open, but Kyrgios described it as a “massive” psychological boost going into his home Grand Slam event, which starts in Melbourne in 11 days’ time. He had won only one set in his four previous meetings with Murray.

“It doesn’t matter what type of match you’re playing, you always want to win, 100 per cent,” Kyrgios said. “Andy wanted to win that tonight. I thought it was a good match.

“I was looking forward to that match for a long, long time when I was back in Canberra and Brisbane training. I knew what to expect. He’s a top player and I love playing him. We get on really well. We’re good friends. I knew that it was going to be tough and I played some really, really good tennis out there today.

“I think these matches are crucial. I want to win every time I go out there. I’m feeling really confident. I’m not missing too many balls. That’s a massive improvement I think I’ve made.”

While Kyrgios often draws attention with his outrageous behaviour – sledging his opponent, arguing with officials or being penalised for bad language – he also puts in the hard yards. “I’ve been putting in a lot more hours on the court especially, not so much in the gym, but on the court,” he said. “I’ve been building up three or four hours, so I think that’s massive.”

Murray, who was disappointed by his failure to extend more of the rallies, said it was difficult to assess Kyrgios’ potential. “Nick is a fantastic player, but there are so many things that go into staying at the top of the game for a long time or winning the major events,” he said.

“He likes playing the big occasions and that’s something that goes for him. That’s an important thing to have. But to know someone’s potential, unless you’re spending time with them day in and day out and seeing their training habits and their work ethic, it’s difficult to say, but his game is obviously good enough to be at the top.”

Watson won the match of the tournament so far with her victory over Gavrilova, who as the world No 36 is 19 places higher than the Briton in the world rankings. Watson trailed 4-2 in the final set before clinching victory after more than two and three-quarter hours. It was her second successive marathon, following the disappointment of her defeat to France’s Caroline Garcia.

Serena Williams, who retired hurt from her only match because of a knee problem, withdrew from the United States’ final meeting today with the Czech Republic and now faces a race against time to be fit for the Australian Open.