Australian tennis star, Nick Kyrgios, withdrew from competing in the Rio Olympics earlier this month after he received a 16-page letter from the Australian Olympic Committee (AOC) concerning his disreputable behaviour.
In a public statement released on his website regarding his Olympic participation, Kyrgios stated that the AOC’s “unfair and unjust treatment” of him made his decision clear.
There is no denying the conflict between the AOC and Kyrgios is a culmination of the roller-coaster professional career Kyrgios has experienced thus far, but does this talented young Australian athlete truly deserve the ‘bad boy’ label?
Kyrgios made his mark on the international stage when he was the first teenager in tennis history to defeat a world number one, after taking down Rafael Nadal in the fourth round at Wimbledon. From this point forward, he was thrown into the spotlight of Australian sport and was anticipated to be the next in line to be the new darling of the Australian media.
However, his career has not unfolded as expected. Various on-court incidents resulted in a negative image driven by the media, who deemed him to be a bad role model for the Australian public.
Kyrgios was involved a series of frustrating matches in both 2014 and 2015, all of which resulted in a number of racquets being slammed and thrown in order to express his emotions.
Kyrgios found himself in hot water, in particular, during Wimbledon in 2015 he elected to get in a verbal altercation with an umpire, followed by a threat to stop participating mid-match.
“I’m not going to play, I’m not playing,” Kyrgios said in disagreement with the umpires call.
Unfortunately, he crossed the line, losing the support of the Australian public following his infamous sledge to Stan Wawrinka at the Montreal Masters.
This comment highlighted his ‘unsportsmanlike’ behaviour that many believed would permanently stain the reputation of the young tennis prodigy. That it did, as Bonds, a major sponsor of his, was quick to part with the Australian athlete following the incident.
With all this in consideration, it can be argued that Nick Kyrgios’ quick climb to the top of Australian tennis was a curse disguised as a blessing.
Lleyton Hewitt had been the face of Aussie tennis for decades and the media was looking for a new star representative in the men’s competition as Hewitt’s performances began to dwindle. Bernard Tomic was a chance to be the next potential superstar, however, it’s obvious that his off-court behaviour has been detrimental to the public support he receives today.
Kyrgios answered the call and was officially crowned as the best men’s tennis player in Australia as the 2014 US Open marked the changing of the guard between he and Hewitt.
Nick was only 19 years of age when he became the face of men’s tennis in Australia, a spotlight that not many teenagers can handle with complete grace and perfection.
Nick Kyrgios may very well be the most prominent Australian athlete of our modern sporting era. His continued rise to a career-high ranking of 19th in the ATP World Tour is a credit to his work ethic and determination.
However, he has been ridiculed and punished for pushing the boundaries of our traditional Australian sporting culture.
Australian sport has never favoured athletes driven by egotistical play and a self-assertive personality.
Our sporting views are derived from the concept of team spirit and selfless acts. Kyrgios represents the new-school of athletes around the world, motivated by passion and fame in an individual sport, which conflicts with our societies values relating to our sporting world.
Many young athletes do not have the ability to adapt to the biggest world stages in tennis immediately without learning from their mistakes like Nick’s notorious outbursts during frustrating matches.
Players have diverse techniques to deal with mid-match adversity and mental perseverance, but young players such as Kyrgios often aren’t able to demonstrate a strong ability to suppress their emotions, which has often been his undoing.
The media has unfairly expected a player as inexperienced as Kyrgios, with his intense attitude and modern-day style of play, to seamlessly represent our country on the highest level against some of the most accomplished tennis players in the world.
As a young athlete, life in the proverbial fast lane can be daunting and often hard to handle, as it is not an anomaly to see these young stars, both in Australian and international sport, find themselves suffering from off-court adversity.
Despite his mistakes and frustration, he is young and will mature. As long as he’s not making mistakes that are detrimental to the well-being of others or their own careers, these small mistakes should be treated on a more forgiving scale to those who are more experienced.
Regarding off-court concerns for athletes, Nick Kyrgios has not misrepresented himself or his country in an off-the-court issue during his young career. In direct comparison with his peer, Bernard Tomic, he boasts a clean slate as an individual of society.
Kyrgios’ well-behaved reputation when he isn’t holding his racquet needs to be commended by the Australian public, rather than condemning him for his fiery passion on the tennis court.
His playing style and demeanour on-court has often come into question, with labels like ‘erratic’, ‘careless’, and ‘boisterous’ often thrown his way. Kyrgios is loud and hasn’t held back his emotions in the past, and while working to suppress his conduct, this does not necessarily make it the wrong way to behave.
His unique style is complimented by a strong crowd presence, having the ability to improve his performance in the biggest moments by feeding off of the energy and excitement of the fans. Nick’s strong play at the Australian Open in recent years has stemmed from the support of the home crowd, inciting some of his gaudiest performances.
While the tennis world has seen animated players before, Nick Kyrgios has a combination of a world-class skill set paired with unrivalled passion and flashy play that has never been seen before.
Not only is he a special player, but he has proven his worth, beating some of the greatest professionals to ever play the game of tennis. Roger Federer, Rafa Nadal, Milos Raonic, Stan Wawrinka, Richard Gasquet and Tomas Berdych are all top 10 talents that he has been able to beat during his three-year career. The Australian public continue to disassociate themselves from this player with sky-high potential and it may prove to be a mistake.
His withdrawal from the 2016 Olympics may be the first sequence in a potential snowball effect developing from lacking support for Kyrgios. Potentially, he may believe that he does not owe Australia any representation in some of the world’s largest competitions.
The sporting media have tarnished Kyrgios’ reputation among the Australian public but will undoubtedly praise him for all his future on-court achievements. The redemption of his career will stem from well-behaved play, then through a ‘fairer’ image delivered by the Australian media.
So far he has been able to limit his on-court antics in 2016 and with Wimbledon approaching, this is his opportunity to show a reform to his controversial behaviour and provide us with incredible performances.
Whether it’s aces or races, try out Aussie bookmaker PlayUp for great odds and a great punting experience. Chances are you’re about to lose. Set a deposit limit.
Rafael Nadal has hailed the brilliance of Alex de Minaur, calling him "a great player" after the Australian forced the Spanish legend to say…
The clay season promises to be one of high level and tight margins. With the Monte Carlo open just around the corner, it will…
In incredible scenes, defending champion Carlos Alcaraz's quarter-final clash with Alexander Zverev at Indian Wells was halted abruptly due to a "bee invasion." Less…
Marathon man Jordan Thompson has finally clinched his first ATP Tour title, with the Australian upsetting Norwegian Casper Ruud to lift the trophy in…
Alex de Minaur has earned the perfect 25th birthday present, booking a place in the final of the Rotterdam Open with an emphatic revenge…
While watching the recent Australian Tennis Open I became obsessively fixated on the same thought. Why has no one done a television biopic or…
