Nick Kyrgios sat in his courtside chair on Arthur Ashe Stadium, leaned back and closed his eyes. He had just lost the opening set of his US Open campaign to Andy Murray, but his body language suggested he had lost a lot more.

As Australia watched on, wondering if the polarising tennis rock star had the steel to get himself up off the canvas, he exposed a four-word tattoo on his forearm that may have just summed up where the 20-year-old is at in this point of his career. "Time is running out," the tattoo said.

What it means, Kyrgios didn't want to go into, but one can think of many ways to attach those words to the enigmatic kid from Canberra.

He plays as if time is running out, rushing through points. His shot selection would sometimes suggest that he lacks the patience to grind out points in favour of the highlight reel play.

If his tattoo refers to capitalising on his incredible tennis ability and transferring potential to success, he probably still has time for that. And he probably still has time to reach the pinnacle of world tennis, too.

But he is running out of time to win back the Australian public, who are increasingly taking satisfaction in Kyrgios' misfortunes.

He seems lost. Lost between trying to be what he thinks he needs to be and what Australia wants him to be.

He says he doesn't care, but he cares. Eighteen months ago the nation fell in love with his boyish charm, his carefree bravado and rock star confidence.

Now that boyish charm has led to him being called a brat, that carefree bravado is being interpreted as a lack of respect, and his rock star's confidence just plain arrogance. But to Kyrgios, he's still the same kid he was when he burst onto the scene at the Australian Open last year, showing incredible grit and determination in a late night turned early morning show-stopper in the second round against Benoit Paire on Margaret Court Arena.

To him, he hasn't changed; the sport has.

"I definitely have learnt a lot of things about the game. It's changed a lot," Kyrgios told Fairfax Media in a one-on-one interview.

"I haven't changed at all from a year ago, to be honest. I was still going for shots, still the same person. People ask me now, why do you keep going for your shots? Well, I was going for my shots a year ago and everyone was encouraging me. I've done that through my whole career."

As we saw in New York as the crowd entered during his service game, Kyrgios is easily sidetracked. As much as it gets him up, the lights, the cameras, the crowd noise and the big screens can bring him down just as fast. He knows that, too.

"I can hear pretty much everything out there," Kyrgios said.

"I've always been like that. I thought I had good support [against Murray] but there were still a lot of comments that just ... I mean everyone is going to say what they're going to say. Yeah.

"Even me just looking up at the TV at times, little stuff like that. I think just with experience, not letting my mind wander so much when I'm out there. At the change of ends I really need to focus on what I want to do and not look around. That's just inexperience."

On the practice courts and even away from the spotlight of the tennis world, there's a side to Kyrgios that would go some way to showing there is a lot to like about the man whose every move is now interrogated.

He looks happy. But on the surface, when the cameras arrive and the world watches waiting for him to implode, he reverts to the person he keeps telling himself he is.

Even cricket legend Shane Warne, who could probably relate to Kyrgios given some of his on-field and off-field antics throughout a decorated career, tried to help Kyrgios discover himself when he penned an open letter to him on Facebook.

"We all realise you're only 20 & have a lot to learn buddy. But please don't waste your talent, everyone in the world, especially us Australians want to respect u," Warne wrote.

"Remember respect is way more important than being liked, u need to respect the game of tennis & yourself. We all make mistakes, but it's how we learn from them & the way we conduct ourselves when we lose that shows true character. You're testing our patience mate, show us what you're made of & how hungry you are to be the best in the world, it's time to step up & start winning, no excuses.

"No shame in losing, but show us you will never give up, that you will give it everything to be the best you can be, respect is earned not given ! I believe in you & know you can do it, but now's the time my friend ..."

After the drama of Wimbledon, in which he dominated the headlines for all the wrong reasons, the "Kokkinakis banged your girlfriend" sledge sent him into a spiral.

But since working with Lleyton Hewitt and having a four-day escape at the veteran Australian's Bahamas mansion, Kyrgios said he was in a better place.

"I was obviously really struggling a couple of weeks ago at Cincinnati," he said. "I had a lot of things going on. I know what's happened now and the consequences of my actions. I came out and put a good performance in against Andy. I'm going to stay confident and positive because we have Davis Cup coming up.

'I gave it absolutely everything those couple of weeks at Wimbledon. It was emotionally tough for me ... but when I look back on it I had a pretty good result. Made fourth round and a chance at making the quarters so all and all, Wimbledon was actually a pretty successful week."

He has the game and the qualities to turn it around, to see Australia fall back in love with him. But as he says, time is running out.