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Opinion
As the summer of tennis looms upon us, there is much excitement on the horizon.
Ahead of us we have Djokovic’s return, a flurry of youth taking over both the ATP and WTA tours and most importantly some Aussie talent shining through.
One of those stars includes the exhilarating Nick Kyrgios.
The 27-year-old is undoubtedly one of the most divisive athletes in world sport due to his mix off-court antics and incredible natural ability with a racquet in hand.
Personally, watching him play is always a thrilling experience and it makes me along with so many others get drawn to the game, whether it be getting bums on seats or sitting down on the couch being glued to the TV.
Like him or not, he is box-office entertainment.
2022 was the year when he finally found himself in a great headspace which propelled him to the best season of his career to date.
A maiden grand slam final at Wimbledon along with a US Open quarter-final appearance and a title in Washington, Kyrgios showed signs that he is more than capable of matching the top players in the world.
Nick Kyrgios (Photo by Francois Nel/Getty Images)
Unfortunately, consistency has let him down far too often for a player of his caliber.
Before his Wimbledon final against Novak Djokovic, Kyrgios confessed his love-hate relationship with tennis.
“I don’t know if the situation will change. There are times where I hate this sport, but there are also times when I feel like one of the most competitive people on the face of the earth,” he said.
Tennis is an individual sport. In the Aussie’s case, there are no teammates around in his corner to help pick himself up and get back on track.
It’s his life, sure. He can live it how he chooses and he has every right to go about his business his own way.
However, tennis fans also possess an equal right to demand more from players, especially Australian fans with Kyrgios.
People look up to him as a role model, certainly on the court. Just as they would support a club or nation in a team sport, they are just as invested in individuals who play sports such as tennis representing their country.
Kyrgios is waving the Australian flag on the world stage. It is a world sport at the end of the day.
His performances definitely deserve to be held accountable more often because supporters and pundits truly want to see his potential flourish and be made the most of by the time he hangs up the racquet.
Kyrgios’ tantrums and angry outbursts during play are a part of who he is and it makes him thrive and perform at the highest level to keep engaged, whether it is deemed acceptable or not.
That is all well and good so long as he is able to consistently keep his head in the game, especially in crucial moments, such as the second set of the Wimbledon final where it all unraveled.
People expect much more from him, and so they should. Australians can sympathise with him in the sense that he has felt a weight of pressure and expectation that has haunted him since he announced himself on the tour, where he has admitted this along with his mental health struggles.
“I was having suicidal thoughts and was literally struggling to get out of bed, let alone play in front of millions,” he said.
Especially being an individual sport, the constant pressure to perform and the endless criticism have been too much to bare at times. Despite some of it being his own doing, it is completely understandable.
I think the general public has come to realise that Kyrgios is a respectful and down-to-earth person who has done a lot of work behind the scenes such as spreading awareness for mental health and his amazing charity work.
Fans are only frustrated because they know full well of his endless potential.
Shockingly, he is the only player in the top 100 who does not have a full-time coach. In fact, he has never had one in his professional career.
A lack of focus regarding fitness and training has been a problem throughout his career which has led to multiple injuries. The latest one was yesterday when he was forced to pull out of the inaugural United Cup, just as he missed the whole Australian pre-season at the start of 2022.
(Photo by Mike Stobe/Getty Images)
He has the power, the skill, the flair, the trickery, along with arguably the best serve and forehand in the game which makes the Australian an all-round genius.
Nick may look at his bank account and head off to his home in the Bahamas while treating tennis as a chore instead of a passion, but he has a duty of responsibility to take his once in a generational talent seriously for Australians and above all the game itself.
Time and time again we have ourselves thinking that Kyrgios has turned a corner.
Will 2023 be the year when he reaches the pinnacle of the sport?
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