So on the eve of the Australian Open, Kyrgios sat back on the couch at his family's Canberra home and pondered this question - how important is it to entertain as well as win?

"You play the game because you love it, you love being out there and giving the crowd a show, playing and competing," Kyrgios said. "For me it's a big part. Obviously there's days when you're going to win when you're not playing your best tennis, but I think it's important to put on a show whenever you can."

This is a big part of the reason why Kyrgios is now polarising national opinion.

Australia's tennis public can't quite yet work out if Kyrgios is confident or cocky? Is he ambitious or just too damn audacious?

Bling in his ear, lines cut in his eyebrow and a mohawk to match, Kyrgios appears so cool at times he makes a cucumber taste like a red hot chilli pepper.

But he only ever seems to be a struck match away from a redline moment too, where he can lose it in a racquet-smashing, obscenity-laden, ball-belting tirade like we saw in his first round match at the Australian Open.

Applaud him or tut-tut him, this contrast of character is also what makes Kyrgios so engaging, why Australia is watching his every move and now hanging on his every word.

On Wednesday evening, after his second round win in four sets, Kyrgios tripped up on those words.

A replay for those who missed it, the interviewer asked: "It was a good comeback from you in that fourth set, because you know, Newc [commentator John Newcombe] said in the commentary 'Lose this one, you're into a fifth, anything can happen.' "

Kyrgios, eyes adrift, deadpanned: "Well, yeah, that's usually what happens when you lose a fourth set, you go into a fifth one, so um yeah."

Rather than crucify Kyrgios for a silly throw-away comment in a post-match interview, perhaps Australia needs to find its equilibrium before it judges him too harshly. Allow the 19-year-old time some to find his balance on the professional tennis tour too.

Kyrgios is growing up before a nation's eyes, at an exponential rate. The only thing that's risen faster than his world tennis ranking in the past year is his number of Twitter followers, which have jumped from 4000 before last year's Australian Open to more than 92,000 at last count.

Kyrgios needs to come to grips with this fame too. On Thursday morning Kyrgios tweeted to his followers: "Question of the day - what happens when you lose the fourth set and you are up 2 sets to 1?"

Playing his last grand slam as a teenager, Kyrgios says he wants to have fun. It's possibly a coping mechanism for the immense pressure he's under.

But it's also interesting to ask Kyrgios where he wants this career, still in its infancy, to go.

Late last year Kyrgios played in the International Premier Tennis League, teaming up with an assembly of tennis superstars like Pat Rafter, Serena Williams, Andre Agassi and Hewitt.

Asked if he felt comfortable in that company, Kyrgios replied: "I wouldn't say I belong with people at that stage, they've accomplished so much in the sport. When I was with them I was just seeing what they were doing off the court preparation and training wise. I definitely learned a lot."

Kyrgios says he learned most from watching and playing with Hewitt. Hewitt polarised Australian opinion too since he showed up at his first Australian Open as a 16-year-old with his cap on backwards.

"When you see him training on court he's always giving 110 per cent he's chasing every ball and I think that's one thing I have to definitely improve, every day trying to bring the best attitude and effort into the training sessions. When you see him train, that's enough. He's so professional, he takes so much care preparing for matches.

"I never thought I'd be playing alongside Rusty so early in my career in Davis Cup, it's awesome just being in the same team as him. He obviously loves Davis Cup, it's one of the main reasons he's still playing. Every time you go out there you get goosebumps when your names called after him."

Kyrgios was also invited to train with Federer for a week in Switzerland last year, amazed by the veteran's commitment to drills that have kept him on top of his game for more than a decade.

While Kyrgios has adapted his workload accordingly, he still wants to sport to be fun.

There was a recent exchange on Twitter between Kyrgios and Monfils, the world No.19 with the rubbery limbs. Monfils was asked by a fan which player he'd pay to watch. His answer: Kyrgios.

"It's pretty exciting when a guy like that – I think the most entertaining player - is saying stuff about you like that," Kyrgios said. "That gives me confidence. I know what I can do, I've just got to keep working hard.

"It's always been part of my game to go for that shot that no one else is really going to go for. It's not going to change. I'm always going to look to entertain when I can."

Last year, in his debut at the Australian Open, Kyrgios faltered in the second round, coughing up a two-set lead and battling cramps to lose an epic five-set match against Frenchman Benoit Paire. He has already gone one step further this year, through to the third round and a potential fourth round match-up against Federer.

"My mindset's changed, particularly in a grand slam match," Kyrgios said of what he'd learned from last year. "You've got to stay emotionally controlled, you can't expend too much energy. I think that's what I've learned the most. You're going to have some dips, ups and downs, but you've got to ride it a bit and take your chances when you can."