Tennis has entertained some bad boys over the years, but none quite as quiet as Nick Kyrgios. The Australian easily embarrassed John McEnroe and Ilie Nastase with his frequent tirades and outbursts.
No stranger to fines or game failures, Kyrgios continues to tarnish the reputation of the game and the most frustrating element is that he is really a pretty good player, but is unlikely to ever reach his full potential.
Wimbledon 2019 is in full swing right now, so let’s take a closer look at Kyrgios’ best and worst, but before we do, have a look at his latest. Wimbledon men’s odds as the business part of the tournament draws near.
Naughty Nick
Since he turned professional in 2013, Kyrgios has hardly ever been left out of the spotlight and his roster of offenses appears to be growing faster than a bamboo stick. If he does not destroy the racket in disgust, he will verbally abuse his opponent or worse, a spectator.
Kyrgios is no stranger to telling referees what he is thinking too, and a few of his most famous outbursts have been directed at officials. It seemed that no matter what day of the week, Kyrgios would never shy away from upsetting someone.
To date, this is the most high-profile incident Kyrgios has been involved in and has solidified his standing as the current bad boy of tennis.
- At the 2015 Rogers Cup, Kyrgios insulted his opponent Stan Wawrinka by claiming that he had slept with an 18 year old and that an opposing player had been intimate with Wawrinka’s girlfriend. Everything is captured by the microphone. Ouch.
- The 2016 Shanghai Rolex Masters saw Kyrgios fined just $33k for lack of effort, abuse of spectators and unsportsmanlike behavior.
- The 2014 US Open saw Kyrgios fined for destroying his racket and he was given three code violations for his profanity.
- In May 2019 at the Rome Masters, Kyrgios went full Hulk when he swore at the linesman, kicked a water bottle and then launched a chair down the infield. A fine of €20k was issued and all potential prize money is forfeited.
Nick’s not that bad
For all his faults, Kyrgios has really built a legion of admirers from across the tennis spectrum. He absolutely has the potential to reach the top, but his choices of words and actions on the pitch will all the time hinder his natural development.
Kyrgios really shares the record with fellow Australians Lleyton Hewitt and Dominik Hrbaty having beaten Roger Federer, Rafael Nadal and Novak Djokovic in their first meeting so the talent is certainly there, he just needs to focus more on his game and not stir up controversy. .
Similar views are shared by a number of current and former tennis stars, including the nine-time Wimbledon doubles champion Todd Woodbridge. Former England favourite Tim Henman also praised Kyrgios, who say this back in 2015: “Kyrgios is a player, an entertainer and will go out and play tennis to the best of his ability. He can beat anyone because he is so talented.”
It was clear that Kyrgios was a man of many talents, but had been mixed with axes attacks and an unfavorable temperament. His career still offers some hope that he will one day win a major but until then, we will must endure the odd Kyrgios case for the foreseeable future.
