WIMBLEDON, London -- If you wondered where Nick Kyrgios' head is at going into this tournament, he gave the perfect insight when asked who to name the favourite for the men's singles title.
"Probably Djokovic. It's a silly question. No more questions for you, bro."
Some might have interpreted this as cranky Kyrgios, the volatile bad boy with his short fuse sparking, but the 21-year-old appeared simply to be doing his best Russell Westbrook impression.
Oklahoma City Thunder star Westbrook humorously shut down a reporter whose question he considered frivolous with the same reply in 2012 and world No.18 Kyrgios is a well-known NBA fanatic.
The Australian has said he enjoys playing basketball more than tennis and, here, he was even wearing a Michael-Jordan-brand basketball jacket.
Kyrgios may also have been irked at having his preparations interrupted; typically, only the top four seeds are asked to do pre-tournament press conferences at the All England Club.
But such is the interest in the controversial Australian that he was asked to sit down in front of the media on Saturday, and was in typically spiky form.
Had he already been warned about his on-court behaviour this year? "No. I just compete," he said. "I thought last year I played all right. I made the fourth round. Lost to Gasquet 7-6 in the fourth set after four hours. Not too bad."
Kyrgios was criticised for appearing to 'tank' -- stop playing -- during that defeat to Richard Gasquet, an accusation he denied. He also earned a code violation and fine for swearing during the match, before becoming embroiled in a row with a reporter over the incident in his postmatch media conference.
Keeping the talk focused on the present at this edition of The Championships was perhaps a sign that the messages about his approach have started to get through.
Kyrgios this year has been given his first Wimbledon seeding -- No.15, something which underlined Novak Djokovic's claim that the Australian could be "one of the world's best" with a bit more professionalism.
He clearly values the world No.1's opinion too: "I could go on for hours about his game," Kyrgios said on Saturday.
If Kyrgios beats Radek Stepanek on Tuesday, the veteran who came within two points of sending Andy Murray packing from the French Open first round in May, he will be two wins away from facing the Briton in round 4.
Murray has acted as an unofficial mentor to Kyrgios in the past and Stepanek, too, has offered guidance this year, the 37-year-old veteran having gained his own reputation for being difficult on court.
"I'm really good mates with him [Stepanek]," said Kyrgios. "He was offering to help me a little bit, not so much coaching.
"I'm playing him now, it's pretty crazy. He's getting towards the end of his career. He's still playing some great tennis. I know it's going to be very tough. I feel like grass is his best surface."
Wimbledon was obviously the site of Kyrgios' big breakthrough, having shocked Rafael Nadal in the fourth round two years ago, and sooner rather than later he is likely to arrive in SW19 as a title contender.
"I feel as if that run [in 2014], I didn't really expect anything at all. But I feel confident in my game. I feel like I'm getting better," said Kyrgios, who lost in the first round to finalist Milos Raonic at Queen's.
"It's just comfortable here. This is definitely one of my favourite times of year, coming here. I love how all the players stay in houses around Wimbledon Village. I love the setup. I can bring my family over, have that home sort of feeling. They're cooking for me. Sometimes we're going out to dinner with some of my friends.
"I feel I can do fairly well here. I've made a couple deep runs in this event."
If Kyrgios can keep his head screwed firmly on and get past the significant test that Murray would represent, he might be able to leave his impressions in the locker room.