Box office? Kyrgios is a brattish twerp
WHo knows what Nick Kyrgios — the world’s most tiresome sportsman — has in store for the Us open next week. swearing? spitting? Abusing the umpire? tanking? Maybe a row with an obvious superior? It’s all on the table. Great tennis? Unlikely.
Kyrgios is indulged by the myth he is box office. Yet what is entertaining about watching a player squander his potential? Where is the fun in hearing him abuse better men, who are not in the position to answer back, let alone climb down from the umpire’s chair and confront this brattish little twerp with the home truths he deserves?
If Kyrgios stopped acting up he would have to play properly. And if he treated his sport and his talent with respect, he might find out he’s not as good as his giant ego believes. Kyrgios calls out Novak Djokovic, Kyrgios calls out Rafael Nadal. Who cares? What matters is the result and Kyrgios has won only a single match against the big four.
He has played Nadal, federer and Andy Murray — never Djokovic — on seven occasions in slams and achieved a lone victory over Nadal at Wimbledon five years ago. Murray has faced him down across all four slam events and Kyrgios won a solitary set in 13. He lost in straight sets to federer at the Us open and his most recent meeting with Nadal, this summer, ended in four.
In the biggest competitions, Kyrgios is ordinary. He has played in 25 slams and never gone deeper than two quarterfinals: 13 times exiting in rounds one, two or qualifying; seven times in round three.
so, if your idea of fun is lousy tennis played with a raging, inexplicable sense of entitlement, Kyrgios may well be your idea of a superstar. for most, he’s a crashing bore.