What would you do if your game was flowing, your mind was fully attentive, yet you still found yourself eked out of the running, down two tight sets, the biggest opportunity of your career slipping from your fingers? The logical answer for most regular human beings would lie in the small details – in making the tiny adjustments that would turn a losing tiebreak into a triumph: Serve to the Body. Don’t clap.

For Nick Kyrgios, the question was answered three sets into his primetime battle with Grigor Dimitrov. The first two sets under the lights of Rod Laver were a blur of stardust and winners. Kyrgios served from the skies, chased down the net and created winning points in a million different ways that his and only his game allows, but at every intersection Dimitrov was one step ahead, defending, neutralizing and attacking. As he lost a narrow second set to fall down 7-6 7-6 to Grigor Dimitrov, for Nick Kyrgios, the only answer was anarchy.

After losing the first two sets, the Australian simply did everything he could to be everything he is at every point of the set. He blasted 900mph random, audacious shock-and-awe returns down to Dimitrov’s feet. He chased down the net and delighted in forcing his opponent to chase his drop shots from the other side. He attempted his own faithful cover versions of other players’ eponymous skills - manic, sprinting half-volley returns in tribute to Roger Federer, unfathomably ugly yet effective forehand swipe-spin dropshots in a hat tip to Bernard Tomic. Sandwiched between three sets of yelling at his box, dropping pristinely clear f-bombs and general angst, he

spent his changeovers smiling, staring into the crowd and trying to relax himself.

Kyrgios won the set, serving out the third set in the blink of an eye with three aces. But deep in the fourth, he meekly handed away his service game after missing the easiest smash of the year on break point. He lost partly due to the simple fact of facing a third-ranked player who gave himself a head start with a supreme pair of sets, and partly because of indiscipline.

But it would be wrong to watch Kyrgios’ performance and conclude, even in complimentary terms, that he was casual. Under the spotlight of raging home pressure, he was clearly present and, as he demanded his team to stand up after every point, he clearly felt the pressure. Rather, he seemed to a deliberate attempt to create the conditions for himself that would allow him to tap into the random nonchalance.

“I think I just had a massive month,” said Kyrgios afterward. “I was feeling a little tight at some stages in the match and the adrenaline kicked in. I'm pretty happy with my Aussie summer. I thought I played well. I thought I played well tonight.”

 Kyrgios arrived in Melbourne after winning Brisbane and he has carried himself professionally throughout the tournament. He has no coach, aside from the well-received input of Lleyton Hewitt and Jason Stoltenburg, but everything suggests that he won’t be looking. Despite all and any calls for him to exercise discipline, to inject safety, the early indications of his year seem to represent the complete opposite attempt to finally, for the time being at least, exercise. But being as Nick Kyrgios as possible, as untethered as possible.

“I feel, when I won a tournament in Brisbane. I gave my best efforts this week. I came up short,” he said “I beat three quality opponents. I lost tonight to one of the best players in the world. Went down swinging. Obviously, I feel a lot better this time around. Last year I really didn't know what I was going to do after the Australian Open last year. I feel like I have more of a vision and goal for this year. I think I'm in a good head space.

I just feel like I'm trying to get better,” he said. “In the offseason, I didn't really have a coach, but I was working on two things that I thought I needed to work on was my volleys and transitioning and my forehand return. I was working on that in the offseason just on my own, and obviously with Lleyton, Stoneberg (phonetic) and Reidy, those kind of guys.” Surrounded by friends and the people who matter most, he probably will.