When Nick Kyrgios made his first Wimbledon quarter-final, who would've thought it would take eight years for him to get back there?
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The way he knocked out Rafael Nadal, it looked like the world was at his feet and it would become a regular occurrence.
But for how far Kyrgios has come along his rollercoaster of a career, he hasn't really come that far at all.
He's only just got back to where he was in 2014. He's finally back in the quarters - taking on Cristian Garin on Wednesday night.
While that journey mightn't have gone far, it's certainly been a rocky one.
There's seemingly been more controversy than wins - he's won six ATP tournaments in his career - and this Wimbledon campaign has been no exception.
He's been fined for spitting in the direction of a fan. Been branded a bully by the vanquished Stefanos Tsitsipas. Called a cheat by former Wimbeldon winner Pat Cash. And, as revealed by The Canberra Times, is facing an assault charge on his return to Australia.
But he hasn't always played the role of the villain - highlighted by the way he rallied the tennis world into action to help those affected by the bushfires.
He showed another one of his many sides with the compassion he showed at the end of 2019.
But back to five years earlier.
There was so much excitement, hope and expectation surrounding the Canberra kid. When would he win his first major? How many would he win? The world was his oyster.
I was lucky enough to be invited into the Kyrgios inner sanctum for that game against Nadal, blogging the occasion as the family gathered to watch the then 19-year-old face arguably the greatest men's tennis player of all time.
There were TV cameras at his house. Someone from Channel Seven trying to tell me I wasn't allowed inside. And lots of family gathered around.
It was surreal the scenes that unfolded as a fresh, young hope of Australian tennis emerged.
There was the genuine feeling a future major winner had been born as I drove home in the wee small hours. Even the kangaroos chewing on the grass in the frost in front of the Australian War Memorial seemed to agree with me.
Kyrgios made the quarters of the Australian Open the following year and the trajectory seemed set.
But it's taken eight, long years to get back to the Wimbledon final eight.
In that time so much has happened - on and off the court.
He's now 27 for a start. No longer the fresh young face on the tour. Now he finds himself coming up against those fresh, young faces. Like the man he beat in five sets in the round of 16. Twenty-year-old Brandon Nakashima.
It's a change that's not lost on the controversial Canberran, who's never far away from an unwanted headline.
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"I feel like I've been through so much and I'm able to stay more composed," Kyrgios said.
"[Nakashima] was playing really well and I wasn't playing that great, but I was almost enjoying the competitiveness.
"That's probably the first time in my career where I wasn't playing well and I said to myself, 'Wow, look how far I've come' to myself. It was rewarding.
"I think I'm enjoying the battle a bit more. I'm expecting everyone to play well against me now.
"For him, I was that kid once, who stepped on that court [as] the underdog.
"Whereas today it was me walking on centre court being the favourite. It was a different feeling, but I was able to navigate that."
He's had to navigate his inner demons as well - Kyrgios has spoken openly about his battles with mental health.
After beating Nakashima, Kyrgios spoke about the time his agent had to drag him out of a pub at 4am - just hours before playing Nadal in another of their Wimbledon encounters.
They could meet again in a few days - this time in the semi-final.
Regardless of how long it takes Kyrgios to get back here again, you just know there'll be plenty of bumps along the way.
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