Nick off, haters
NICK Kyrgios is ranked 20-something in the world. A lot of Australians don’t like him. They think he’s got a bad temper and he plays tennis like it’s an individual sport. Which it is.
But for some reason, they expect him to be a national ambassador.
That’s what we have Joe Hockey for, isn’t it?
Last weekend Kyrgios played five sets to make it to the fourth round and earn the honour of confronting the No.1 seed in the tournament. It was a ripper match. Kyrgios took Nadal to four sets. He couldn’t get it done in the end but he left the arena with his head held high.
On the day Kyrgios played his final match at Rod Laver Arena, the world woke to the news that NBA legend Kobe Bryant and his young daughter were among nine people killed on a helicopter flight.
You don’t have to be a basketball fan to know this was a shocking loss. Kobe was a champion. Still a young man, early 40s. His cabinets are full of championship rings. His legacy is legendary on the practice courts and performance arenas.
Kyrgios is a huge basketball fan and on Monday night he walked out to face Nadal wearing a Los Angeles Lakers shirt in honour of Kobe.
That was cool. That was empathy. Respect for the loss of others. That’s leadership. A public display of “it’s not about me”.
Kyrgios has been heavily criticised over the years. Hundreds of sports editorials have damned him. His talent was ignored and he was lumped in with the bad boys of Aussie tennis.
Kyrgios brought it on himself, but the hate was unrelenting.
Nick Kyrgios was no Pat Rafter! You couldn’t take him home to meet your mum!
Bad tempered and grumpy ... that’s not right. He was un-Australian. He was no Shane Warne, he was more the Mark Jackson of tennis. He had some talent but he was all show. Ignoring the training and pretending like he was bigger than the game.
Well, this summer he has grown up before our eyes.
He’s not Jacko, he’s more Iggy Pop.
No, that’s not right.
This! Yes! Nick Kyrgios is the Greta Thurnberg of sports, which is why old sports journos and online Baby Boomers can’t stand the way he plays.
He makes you feel uncomfortable, he embraces the unconventional.
He’s no Newk, he’s Nick.
But man, he’s going to be good. So why are we so hard on our young people? Why does he have to conform?
We celebrate innovation in technology, we embrace the unusual in design and performance. In music we love the disco, and think about what was going on back then — John Travolta was pushing the boundaries beyond what was acceptable in polite society and we loved it!
Think of all the old people who went to see Elton John playing on the weekend. Now remember what young Elton was wearing back in the 1970s — dressed up like a peacock, sunnies the size of the harbour bridge. Hiding his honest self in spectacle and show.
Then, like Bowie, he found his audience. They were geniuses. They broke the rules and built careers that will last long after they are gone.
Just like Greta.
This teenager is on the cover of Time magazine. She’s the only world leader who is still growing taller every time we see her.
This is the future before our eyes.
Kyrgios is only 24 years old. He’s got so much life ahead of him.
This year in the season of bushfires, he has shown great community spirit. Great understanding of the world around him and true leadership.
He brought me back to the game.
I haven’t watched tennis for years. Too many robots, not enough variation. The top three rotate the championships. There’s only so many times you can appreciate a baseline rally and grunts and groans.
In 2020 Kyrgios proved he has the smarts and the grit to go on.
Nadal worked hard to beat the youngster. Kyrgios pushed him with creative stroke play and tireless imagination. Not bad for a young bloke who is still waiting for his prefrontal cortex to fully develop. So why the online hate? He’s a great Australian player. This is the future. It is happening now.
Ross Mueller is a freelance writer and director