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The curious case of Nick Kyrgios

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Tennis has entertained a couple of bad-boys over the years, but none quite as hot-headed as Nick Kyrgios. The Australian quite easily puts John McEnroe and Ilie Nastase to shame with his frequent tirades and outbursts. 

No stranger to a fine or defaulting a match, Kyrgios has continued to put the game into disrepute and the most frustrating element being is that he is actually quite a good player, but is unlikely to ever hit his full potential. 

Wimbledon 2019 is in full swing now so let’s take a closer look at the best and worst of Kyrgios but before we do, check out the latest Wimbledon men’s odds as the business part of the tournament approaches. 

Naughty Nick

Ever since he turned professional in 2013, Kyrgios has rarely escaped the limelight and his list of offenses appears to grow quicker than a stick of bamboo. If he isn’t smashing up rackets in disgust, he’ll be verbally abusing his opponent or worse, a spectator. 

Kyrgios is no stranger to letting umpires know what he thinks as well, and some of his most famous outbursts have been aimed at the officials. It doesn’t seem to matter what day of the week it is, Kyrgios will never shy away from upsetting someone. 

To date, these are the most prominent incidents that involve Kyrgios and have cemented his place as tennis’ current bad-boy

  • In the 2015 Rogers Cup, Kyrgios insulted his opponent Stan Wawrinka by declaring that he sleeps with 18-year-olds and that a rival player had been intimate with Wawrinka’s girlfriend. All of which was picked up by the microphones. Ouch. 
  • The 2016 Shanghai Rolex Masters saw Kyrgios fined just shy of $33k for lack of effort, abusing a spectator and unsportsmanlike behaviour.
  • The 2014 US Open saw Kyrgios fined for smashing up his racket and he was given three code violations for his obscenities.
  • In May 2019 at the Rome Masters, Kyrgios went full Hulk when he swore at the line judge, kicking a water bottle and then launching a chair on to the middle of the court. A €20k fine was issued and all potential prize money was forfeited. 

Nick’s not all that bad

For all of his wrongdoings, Kyrgios has actually built up a strong following of admirers from across the tennis spectrum. He certainly has the potential to make it to the very top, but his choice of words and actions on the court will always hinder his natural progression. 

Kyrgios actually shares a record with fellow Aussies Lleyton Hewitt and Dominik Hrbaty to have beaten Roger Federer, Rafael Nadal and Novak Djokovic in their first-ever meetings so the talent is clearly there, he just needs to focus more on his game and not causing controversies. 

A similar view is shared from a number of current and former tennis stars, including nine-time Wimbledon doubles champion Todd Woodbridge. Former British favourite Tim Henman has also been full of praise for Kyrgios, who said this back in 2015: “Kyrgios is a performer, an entertainer and will go out and play the tennis he is capable of. He can beat anyone because he is seriously talented.”

It’s apparent that Kyrgios is a man of many talents, but has been laced with an unfortunate bout of a short fuse and temper. His career still offers some hope that he’ll one day win a major but until then, we’ll have to endure the curious case of Kyrgios for the foreseeable. 

 

 

 

 

 

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