By Martin Rogers
FOX Sports Columnist
It was precisely two minutes before Nick Kyrgios started complaining on Wednesday, and the only surprise was that it took him that long.
Kyrgios, the self-styled bad-boy of tennis, kept his Wimbledon campaign going with a straight-set, quarterfinal victory over Chile’s Cristian Garin. As on every step of his angst-filled, tantrum-throwing, snark-laden journey to the last four, he begged the question — is he good for tennis, or bad?
It is no straightforward query, for tennis and its troublemakers have a long history. Kyrgios is an unmistakably naughty boy and delights in being so, willingly snarling his way into arguments with, well, almost everyone.
Line judges cop his ire for daring to make calls that are outside his favor, umpires hear his disgruntlement for all manner of reasons, and tournament referees receive his blasts because they’re the last line of officialdom.
Opponents get taunted and baited with underarm serves, theatrical bows to the stands, sniping remarks, and multi-level mind games, especially if, like world No. 5 Stefanos Tsitsipas showed in the second round, they’re visibly affected by it.
Ballkids get told off for not running “properly.” Reporters who dare raise their hands during a press conference risk direct confrontation if they ask him about his antics. His box — including his girlfriend and trainer — are also routinely in the verbal firing line.
In his first match in London, Kyrgios spit in the direction of a fan who was heckling him and was fined $10,000 for the effort. After his round-of-16 clash, he claimed that “all publicity is good publicity.” A day later, it was revealed he faces charges alleging he assaulted a former girlfriend in his native Australia last year.
If you’re not particularly familiar with Kyrgios and all