About a month ago at Wimbledon – the minute he started going downhill in his fourth-round match against Andy Murray – Nick Kyrgios changed irreversibly.
While he’d previously uttered things like “I don’t want to be here” and “I don’t love tennis”, he never bashed himself for his lack of desire to win. He never questioned his own competitive spirit.
What we saw in the press conference after the Murray match was, believe it or not, a maturing Kyrgios. A Kyrgios now realising he could no longer play tennis on the terms of others; neither his family, who have no doubt put blinkers on him his whole life and pushed him to excel at tennis, or the tennis public, who have taken him on an emotional roller coaster, one day celebrating him as the next great of the game, before condemning him as the worst thing to happen to it.
By his recent conduct, it seems Kyrgios, deep down, came to a realisation during and after that Murray match: his talent isn’t all it’s cracked up to be.
That’s not to say his talent is any less than many a top-ten player, rather that Kyrgios realised if he wanted to be the player that seemingly everyone in the tennis world promised him he would be, his talent alone is never going to get him there.
Perhaps he now feels betrayed by those close to him, who pushed him so hard, and the swooning of the tennis world. All the overreactions – either unnecessarily complimentary or unfairly maligning – have suddenly melted into oblivion in the last month. He’s the only one who has to step onto court with the giants, and his raw talent or fury at those around him (players’ box, media, umpires, doubters) alone won’t allow him to slay them.
While shallow observers may say Kyrgios hasn’t matured at all, he’s actually in the middle of a significant phase of maturity. He has outgrown the old motivations to play, but he’s not yet matured to the point where he knows exactly what he wants, and takes complete responsibility for achieving it.
This is a point Roger Federer reached at 21, Novak Djokovic in his early 20s, Stan Warwrinka in his late 20s, and Rafael Nadal perhaps before he grew facial hair.
Kyrgios now stands at a fork in the road. Going down the first route would see him admit he not only doesn’t care for tennis, but that he also doesn’t have the competitive hunger that players like Andre Agassi found to excel and succeed (despite their ‘hatred’ of the game).
Nick may well give up the sport. The NBA may be a stretch for him, but the NBL would see him as a great addition, if he were good enough. He’d make an honest living, would play the team sport that he so longs for, and would feel less scrutinised.
It’s not too late – five-time NBA champion Dennis Rodman barely picked up a basketball until 22, and many ballers play well into their late-30s. Nick could still have a 15-year career in the sport where he feels most at home.
On the other hand, he could realise that he wants to be at the very top of tennis. He could get tired of the barbs, the taunts, the jabs from the media, and of less talented people talking down to him. He could realise his rightful place is as one of the better athletes in the world.
Even if he ‘only’ wins two grand slams in his career, he will be immortalised as someone who made it to the very top of a global sport, putting him at the level of peer with the basketball players he sees as heroes.
It may be a lonelier and more frustrating road – one on which he is constantly taking steps to re-energise his desire to play, and reconnect to his motivations – but even his beloved basketball idols have parts of their job they don’t always love.
It is unknown which road he will take, but one thing is for sure: Kyrgios can’t stay in this no man’s land forever.
Given he’s 21, I wouldn’t quite invoke the harsh phrase tattooed onto his arm, “time is running out”, but Kyrgios has to eventually bite the bullet and decide on a path.
Winston
Guest
That's an interesting point. But I'm not sure what his options are then. Technically the only way to not lose at all is if you're world number 1 (you'll still lose, but obviously win 99% of the time). He's not going to be world number 1 even if he tries hard, that's a given. So if we then apply what you say and assume he can't realistically be a top 100 player for 10 years, then he's only left with 1 choice which is to get a $60k per year desk job. I can't see him doing that either though. At the end of the day I'm with you on your prediction. He'll struggle with it, but he won't be able to give it up totally, so he'll just giving us 2nd or 3rd round exits at grand slams. We won't see him at all other than at the Aussie Open with all the TV coverage. It's a bit of a shame that when Tomic was first going bad, we were really looking forward to Kyrgios overtaking him. I guess now we're just waiting for someone to take the limelight from Kyrgios so we can all just forget about his existence.
Rohit Asopa
Roar Pro
@Vissie haha I can assure you I didnt submit the article with the term 'fork in the road'. It was added in by the editors!
Vissie
Guest
Thanks Rohan, Firstly, and not to be too pedantic. but I don't know who writes the Roar's article headers - if you face a fork in the road you face an option, not two. Two options would mean a choice of four possible outcomes. I agree that mediocre results will be the pattern, if indeed, he does stay in the game. Basketball is not an option for him, I think, as there are very few in the top professional leagues that have his slight frame. Those that are built like him and who do manage to make it are massively talented and rare as hen's teeth. Also, he strikes me a thoroughly selfish individual and his demeanour will not be tolerated in a team sport environment. So, even if he has the talent, I think his personal failings will inhibit or even preclude high achievement in basketball. A bit like his tennis career, really. It's sad, because he has real talent.
Rohit Asopa
Roar Pro
Thanks for the replies! @Winston the reason I don't think he'd be okay just being a top 100 player, is his conduct and mental state after a bad loss. Players like Gasquet, Monfils, Fognini and even Tomic don't seem bothered to lose matches badly. Kyrgios has a pride in him that I don't see in them. He gets hurt and just oozes toxicity when he's losing or playing badly. Don't think he could do that for 10 years. I also disagree with you about not having the talent to be top five. But I think, as I said I'm the article, talent now doesn't mean much. He has time on his side. My prediction is we may see mediocre results from him for the next year (maybe even two) - if he stays in the game
Winston
Guest
Interesting. But there is another option, and people are forgetting about it. How about just being a top-100 player and have a 10 year career, earning enough money to be more than wealthy, but relying purely on talent and not hard work? I've said enough times that I don't think he has enough talent to challenge the top players, but he certainly has enough to be top 20 in the world, and if you then do that MINUS hard work, I think his talent alone can make him stay inside the 100. That will mean automatically entry into grand slams already. Plus he does have enough talent to win matches here and there, so that will make a living. As part of maturing, he also has to realise that it is his job to play tennis. Real life is tough. Imagine starting a job at PWC as a graduate, you get say $60,000, have to put up with crap for at least the next 3-4 years before life starts to get a little better, but even then your pay is still going to only be about $90,000. Then you think, what's in it for me working 60 hour weeks earning that. It just means you're likely to have to be working all the way till you're 70. Tomic is right - why would someone at his age with $10m care? Well, as part of maturing, they need to realise the 10m will go very fast given their lifestyles if they don't keep playing tennis. Imagine Tomic and Kyrgios in a $60k per year desk job! So yes, Kyrgios can choose to put in the hard work and be a top 10 player (not top 5 though, he doesn't have enough talent for that). He can also choose to have a $60k desk job. Or he can be a top 100 player earning $400k a year without practising very much. I know what I'd choose if I was in that position.
Aileen
Guest
I agree, but I do think Nick needs help to sort both himself and his attitude out because it sounds to me like he's floundering around on his own. I'm not suggesting he needs somebody to tell him what to do, but perhaps somebody in whom he has trust that he can talk to and whose advice he's prepared to take on board to help him decide which road he wants to go down.
Matth
Guest
Interesting article. People tend to forget he is really just a baby at this point. I shudder to think how I would have come across to the public between 18 and 21. I'm prepared to give him time to grow up and decide who he wants to be. Some of us never find out.