If this was the last Australian Open singles match of Nick Kyrgios' career — and, to be sure, it's hard to know with him, no matter what came out at his news conference — the big-hitting, big-talking tennis player went out rather quietly Monday night.

After surgery and close to 16 months of around-the-clock rehabilitation, things began looking up for Nick Kyrgios. And yet here he is, dealing with pain once more.

Down here, it’s all about their own tennis yin and yang. One is a top 10-player who will do whatever he can to avoid controversy, while dedicating every ounce of his energy to the sport. The other is an unranked unicorn,