It’s hard to know exactly how to feel about Nick Kyrgios. He is a polarising figure in many ways.
Some love his youthful exuberance, his charm and his charismatic personality. He’s cocky and arrogant, but at certain times, that is what’s needed from a professional athlete.
There’s one other thing that can’t be denied. Nick Kyrgios can definitely play tennis.
At just 20 years of age, he has already made two grand slam quarter-finals (Wimbledon 2014 and Australian Open 2015) and he looks well on his way to emulating that at this year’s Wimbledon.
He dispatched world number seven Milos Raonic in their third round encounter, and plays talented Frenchman Richard Gasquet in the fourth round. This is the same man he saved a Wimbledon record nine match points against last year.
In his fledgling career, Kyrgios also has big-time wins against Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal. Perhaps the two greatest tennis players of all time.
Yet for all his success, Wimbledon 2015, like much of his career, has been a perfect example of his divisive nature.
He entertained and thrilled spectators during the Raonic encounter. He posed for photographs with spectators, mid-match. He wound the crowd up to the point of hysteria, after winning jaw dropping points. But most importantly, he played sublime tennis.
However, at the same time, the other side of Kyrgios has been clear for all to see. He has abused umpires, linesmen and fans. He has broken racquets, sworn in front of young spectators, and shown his immature and even spoilt nature.
It’s hard to pinpoint exactly where Kyrgios loses a lot of people. There is no doubt he is from a new generation. He is eccentric, confident, and has that x-factor.
Perhaps, this is the main reason why the public can’t relate to him. It often seems that he is trying to hard stand out.
There is no doubt that some of this is his natural personality. But at times he gives off the impression that the one thing he wants more than any other is to be different from everyone else.
It’s not just his hair, his pink headphones, his on and off-court behaviour. It’s not just his brash remarks and excessive cockiness. It’s that he does all of these things at the same time, seemingly with a conscious effort to do so.
What Kyrgios does have in his favour, though, is that he is young. Very young.
Many people forget, that the now stalwart of Australian tennis, Lleyton Hewitt, was in some ways similar to Kyrgios. It wasn’t in his flashiness, tennis game or swagger. It was that he too was disliked, even hated, early in his career.
There could be a valuable lesson in this for Kyrgios.
Hewitt didn’t change who he was. Still today, he is the same super competitive, never say die combatant that he always was.
But he did mature, over time.
His priorities in life changed. He became a devoted father and husband. He also learnt to handle himself and others with more respect, both on and off the court.
I’m not saying that Kyrgios should go and get married and have kids. Not at all. But he can and hopefully will mature over the coming years. This may lead to him treating those around him in a slightly different light.
This doesn’t mean that he needs to fundamentally change who he is. It’s unlikely he will ever be the clean cut, statesman of the game, like Roger Federer. He won’t be the humble, even self-denigrating, Rafael Nadal.
But what he can do, is improve his awareness of himself and others, over time. He will learn that comments about how he sleeps with multiple women are probably best kept out of the public forum.
If he needs further proof that he needs to mature, he should take a look at his good mate, Thanasi Kokkinakis.
Kokkinakis isn’t old school, not in the slightest, but he treats people with respect. He’s genuine, funny and a good bloke. Put very simply, he’s a likeable guy.
As a result, the media and Australian public have jumped on board. They don’t want to root against their own countrymen, but right now, Kyrgios and Bernard Tomic are making it hard to do otherwise.
To be truthful, it’s hard to predict what the future will hold for Kyrgios. Injuries aside, he has the natural talent to make it to the very top of the game.
What’s harder to predict, is how the Australian public will take to him in the long term. Hopefully, he will mature into a more relatable young man.
No-one wants to see him lose that flare and explosiveness that makes him who he is. But they also don’t want to see him act like a clown every time he steps on the court or opens his mouth.
Right now, there is only one thing we know for sure. Tennis won’t be dull with Nick Kyrgios on the scene.
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