Nick Kyrgios, it seems, has a few cognitive issues. Or, perhaps, he suffers from malignant narcissism, for he just does not seem to understand the implications of his words or actions.
His tantrums looked good, in the beginning, because tennis was becoming a bit too nice for some fans, but tanking is not great and the comment about Stan Wawrinka and his girlfriend was beyond the pale. Yet, in a recent interview, Kyrgios, 20, said he was “not embarrassed at all” about what he said.
And that is the problem. In his world, such flippant talk is fine, and the opinion of peers such as Roger Federer, Novak Djokovic or Rafael Nadal matters little. The unfortunate thing is, there are still few on the tennis circuit willing to condone his obnoxious behaviour and lend public support. Perhaps, these Kyrgios backers should be listening to John Newcombe.
“I think back to Ilie Nastase when he was having a great year in 1972/73 and he was behaving so badly that we all ostracised him in the dressing room for a year,” the Australian told Fairfax Media last week. “No one would talk to him, and so he had to change his ways.”
Questioning what he called Kyrgios’s “look at me” attitude, Newcombe, the seven-time grand slam winner, also warned the youngster he is at “a very serious crossroads”.
Kyrgios’s supporters, and even his peers, then, also have a few decisions to make. Ostracising him may sound a bit harsh, but if it is the only way to make Kyrgios mend his ways, then so be it.
For Kyrgios, the tennis player, is a lot more precious than Kyrgios, the character.
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