Is there a more polarising Australian athlete than Nick Kyrgios? Actually, scratch that. After behaving so bizarrely and temperamentally last year, Kyrgios’ perception is set in stone.
Put it this way, it’s not particularly wise, or fashionable, to profess your fandom for Kyrgios these days.
I suppose the more pertinent question is this: Can Australian tennis’ bad boy reshape his tattered image or is the damage irreparable?
Nobody really knows, probably not even Kyrgios himself, but you feel this month could be a defining juncture in his career.
Right now, Kyrgios holds the unwanted distinction of being simultaneously tennis’ most reviled player and arguably Australia’s most despised athlete after a string of controversies last year, punctuated by the infamous “banged your girlfriend” sledge to Swiss star Stan Wawrinka.
After that furore, Kyrgios was pilloried by all and sundry, becoming a punching bag on social media. The vitriol wasn’t the simple mockery that often proliferates on social media, the type of low-hanging fruit aimed at the likes of Shane Watson. Instead, the Kyrgios wrath reached a new, bitter realm, where he became hated for basically anything.
Kyrgios started getting nitpicked for everything, including his hairstyle, eyebrows, bright attire and penchant for wearing showy headphones. As the ultimate whipping boy, Kyrgios was being blamed for skirmishes he didn’t even start, notably a social media stoush with Adelaide Crows captain Taylor Walker.
The shift in sentiment, both within Australia and the tennis fraternity, gained momentum like a tsunami. Australians, and the majority of tennis fans, don’t have much tolerance for those perceived as prima donnas. Aussie sports fans have always gravitated towards larrikins (insert Merv Hughes), ‘good blokes’ (insert Pat Rafter) and those with gravitas (insert Steve Waugh).
Even a polarising figure like Lleyton Hewitt, often prone to volatile on-court tantrums, could be tolerated, and eventually accepted, because he seemed to always give a damn and genuinely play his heart out.
Like Hewitt, Kyrgios’ demeanour on-court can be grating; he’s fast becoming a type of new-age John McEnroe but without any silverware to back up his bravado.
Unlike Hewitt, Kyrgios doesn’t always seem like he cares. Last year at Wimbledon, he was accused of tanking during his loss to Richard Gasquet, which is about the worse accusation one can label at an athlete. There are times on the court when he’s so exasperated looks like he wants to be anywhere other than a tennis court. It is bewildering to see him shockingly spiral, seemingly out of nowhere.
It’s a disappointing fall from grace after such early promise.
Up until early 2015, Kyrgios seemed likeable enough. Sure, some critics weren’t enamoured over his flamboyant persona, but Kyrgios’ precociousness, energy and talent were irresistible, and harnessed memorably when he defeated Rafael Nadal at Wimbledon in 2014.
His emergence was the tonic an Australian public desperately craved. Kyrgios seemed likely to be at the forefront of an Australian tennis renaissance, and perhaps the country’s first genuine men’s prospect since peak Hewitt in the early 2000s.
After his breakout at the Australian Open in 2014, where he won a match and dazzled with audacity, I was fascinated by him. He was the first Australian tennis player who had captivated me since Hewitt’s emergence in the late 1990s. Kyrgios’ sheer athleticism was startling, as was his ability to conjure mesmerising shots. His antics, so far removed from the usual sedateness of tennis protocol, were refreshing. He had swagger and his charisma was palpable. Kyrgios was different.
After the tournament I interviewed Kyrgios, via email, for sports site Mailer Report. He replied my questions within 48 hours. It was obvious he craved media attention, as little had been written about him in-depth previously.
Clearly, he wasn’t yet media savvy, but Kyrgios was refreshingly candid, albeit also remarkably self-assured. Remember, these quotes are from January 2014 when he had won just two grand slam singles matches.
“I have a very clear vision of where I want to be. One day I want to be number one and obviously win a slam/s in the process… I’ve shown the talent is there, the game is there… I definitely like entertaining on the court – sport is meant to be entertaining.”
As can be surmised from those quotes, Kyrgios is innately brash, which makes him a compelling character and such a drawcard, because he is not afraid of big moments. Unfortunately, when the tide turns, as it has so furiously over the past year, Kyrgios tends to brood and believe the whole world is against him.
Kyrgios seemed to treat his newfound standing as being a type of anti-hero, relishing a share of the spotlight even if it was for the wrong reasons. He wasn’t particularly contrite over his behaviour or how others perceived him. It was as if he truly believed he was making the sport more watchable.
After uttering those vile words to Wawrinka, his battered reputation reached the point of almost being unsalvageable. Even Kyrgios, wrapped in his own bubble, would have realised that his behaviour needed to drastically change before he lost mainstream support forever.
Wisely, Kyrgios has kept a relatively low profile recently. In Perth, where he is currently playing the Hopman Cup, Kyrgios said, “I’m a young dude in his career, still growing and trying to be more mature, trying to learn new things.”
And you know what? He’s right. Kyrgios is only 20 years old and endured a sudden rise into the public eye. He’s not the first person who has handled sudden fame at an early age poorly. As a template, Kyrgios should take heed of world number one Novak Djokovic, who earlier in his career came across as temperamental and slightly conceited.
“There is too much of this chest thumping and roaring when he wins. I would like to see him show a bit more humility, like Nadal and Federer,” said Australian tennis legend Roy Emerson of Djokovic in 2011. Djokovic is universally respected now; it’s hard to remember those bad old days.
One would hope Kyrgios matures and gets his head screwed on straight. It would be sad to see a player so talented disintegrate. He’s the prototype player who should be at the forefront of a new generation succeeding Nadal, Djokovic, Roger Federer and Andy Murray.
Despite all the dramas and distractions, Kyrgios is ranked 30 and has a legitimate shot, once again on the proviso that he’s mentally engaged, of contending for a slam this year and cracking the top 10.
The time is now for Kyrgios to leave his childishness behind.
It is also time for Australia to give Nick Kyrgios, an insanely talented and intriguing player, a chance at redemption.
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