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Nick Kyrgios

For those of you who don’t know, Nick Kyrgios is a men’s professional tennis player from Australia. He is ranked 20th in the world ATP ranking and most notably was the runner-up this year at Wimbledon. However, most of the news around Kyrgios does not have to do with his tennis ability and skill, but rather his tendency to behave in a way that does not follow the traditional, polite, “country club” etiquette of tennis.

Indeed, Kyrgios’ behavior more closely resembles that of a modern NBA player, constantly arguing with the umpire, his opponent, and even his family and friends in the stands. He often slams his racquet after a loss or even a lousy point. Sometimes he will intentionally lose a game when down significantly in a set so that he can get to the next set faster. 

Unfortunately, his amazing talent as a player is overlooked due to his antics and personality. However, regardless of his short temper, many argue that Kyrgios has done more good for the game than bad. He is breaking the norms of the classic tennis player through both his unique style. This style has turned more young fans on to a sport that has an average viewer age of over 50, and draws a tiny number of viewers in America compared to Football, Basketball, Baseball, Hockey, and Golf.  John McEnroe, one of the greatest tennis players of all time and famously a highly competitive “bad boy” like Kyrgios, said, “He moves the needle. I think the players like him. A lot of fans like him. There’s a lot of talk about him. He’s an incredible talent”.

In my opinion, Kyrgios can do wonders for the sport if he can control his emotions on the court a little bit more. At only 27 years old, his style is eye-catching and electric, and his skill is unmatched by anyone in the sport except for tennis legends such as  Medvedev and Nadal.

 

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