Nick Kyrgios has stirred up some trouble again. This time not for his attitude or a broken racquet, but for something more sinister.
Kyrgios sent down a few sledges at Stan Warwinka about his new teenage girlfriend Dona Vekic, and fellow Australian and mate Thanasi Kokkinakis.
Vekic and Kokkinakis have not weighed into the controversy, probably for good reason.
At its simplest, it was a dumb thing to say. As a professional player you are looking for ways to assert yourself physically and mentally. In this instance, Kyrgios was confused as to how to assert himself, resorting to a childish, playground remark.
It certainly didn’t do him any favours in his next match against John Isner, where he was basically jeered out of the game.
What I was most disappointed by was the reaction of his brother Christos Kyrgios. I can understand the protective, brotherly love he has for Nick, but getting kicked off a radio show for a loose comment and then blowing up on Facebook with veiled threats was probably the most foolish part of this whole episode.
Nick needs real supporters behind him. People who care for him but rationally deal with issues in the public eye. What does it say when Nick publicly apologises and then his brother goes rogue? The old family issue in tennis is back again, and this time it’s not someone’s father making the situation worse.
Splitting the overprotective family from the professional tennis player is like the separation of church and state. Both are important and have strong supporter bases, but the state must run its own affairs separate from the church’s influence.
Life is about making mistakes and learning from them, and it is unfortunate some people have careers where they make their mistakes in the public eye. This is Kyrgios’ predicament.
At the moment Lleyton Hewitt is working with Kyrgios as a mentor, in a wise move for the youngster’s mindset and tennis. Hewitt should be able to instil his gritty and determined play in Kyrgios.
Our Lleyton knows what it’s like to have the public’s dissatisfaction. For much of his career, even with his two Grand Slams, Lleyton was not Australia’s favourite son. Only late in his career has he really shown his true colours as a fighter who never gives up, and now we love him. Lleyton may be able to impart that maturity to Kyrgios, knowing what it was like to lack it himself early in his career.
Australian Davis Cup captain Wally Masur has also rushed to Kyrgios’ defence, saying he believed the sledge to be a bit of a storm in a teacup.
I have been guilty myself of trying to assess Kyrgios’ possible impact on the sport as a whole, which, in hindsight, is incredibly unfair and pointless. What do we gain from public questionnaires asking if he will be the greatest tennis player of his generation, is he good for tennis or how many slams will he win?
The bar has been set so high for these young players that they are quickly thrown under the bus without hearing the sound that killed them. We forget that being in the top 100 players in the world is an unbelievable achievement.
Tennis, more than other sport, is about finding inner strength to deal with adversity. Kyrgios will need those good influences around him if he is to progress to a place in his career where he is comfortable.
He’s got to remember it’s not a popularity contest, but its doesn’t hurt to be nice.
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