Kyrgios shows a different side
Tragedies have touched volatile Aussie
ALL IT took to transform Nick Kyrgios’s image in his own country was one idea and one sentence getting caught in his throat. The idea was to donate £110 to victims of bushfires for every ace he serves this month, which he first announced via social media. In an example of imitation being the sincerest form of flattery, dozens of Australian and international athletes have followed the lead he set and done similar things.
Then came the on-court interview after his first appearance in the ATP Cup.
‘My hometown is Canberra and it’s got the most toxic air in the world, that’s sad, it’s tough,’ he said, voice cracking with emotion.
While people who know him would be less surprised at him being first out of the blocks on this, it has led many to reassess their opinion of Kyrgios in a country still reeling from the effect of terrible blazes in country areas.
‘I guess with everything going on,
the other stuff outside tennis, maybe that’s more what they support rather than my tennis itself,’ he reflected. ‘Everything I’m doing is just because I care.’
Now for the difficult bit — putting in the kind of run at his home Grand Slam befitting of a player possessing a natural talent the equal of anyone trying to challenge the trinity of Novak Djokovic, Rafa Nadal and Roger Federer.
His performances of helping Australia reach the semi-finals of the inaugural ATP Cup amassed some credit for him on that front, but nothing can substitute flying the flag over the next fortnight.
How motivated will he be? Having lost to Spain in Sydney, Kyrgios went home to Canberra for three days before heading to Melbourne to play a couple of exhibitions, one of them the Rally For Relief bushfire fundraiser.
There is no question that the
of Australian tennis has been genuinely affected by what is going on in the wider world.
‘It’s not easy to just completely switch your concentration on the Australian Open when you put it in perspective of what is actually going on,’ he said.
‘It’s not just here. Earthquakes in Puerto Rico. Just things happening at the moment, they’re much larger than all of this. I have to find the balance. I have to go out there and try to get the best out of my game.
‘I think when I’m playing, at the moment I’m playing for a lot more than myself.’
The ATP Cup team event saw him playing at least to his ranking of 26, but, during the tournament, he issued a note of caution.
‘When I’m playing for myself, I find it hard to get up,’ he admitted. ‘My motivation levels are pretty low, but something about these guys and playing for them brings it out of me and I just love it.’
There are, unfortunately, several reasons to doubt that he will go as far as, or better his best performance in Melbourne getting to the fourth round in 2018.
The most prosaic of these is that he is not physically fit enough to withstand the rigours of competition over a fortnight.
One veteran Australian player offered another take on why he feels Kyrgios is not able to fulfil his extravagant potential.
‘I think there’s a fear of failure in there,’ he said. ‘It’s almost as if he doesn’t want to properly prepare, so there’s a fallback position for him if he does not come through and win when he should.’
Kyrgios admitted he has been seeing a sports psychologist, something the ATP Tour has been keen for him to do since it handed out its latest punishment to him in September after more on-court outbursts.
He is currently playing under a suspended ban, although it does not apply to the Grand Slams, which are beyond the tour’s jurisdiction.
He was in phlegmatic mood ahead of the tournament yesterday, his new-found perspective helping him avoid rising to criticisms made by Alex Zverev on Friday.
The German, who also tends to speak his mind, commented that there were simply better young players around than the Australian.
‘I’m not going to entertain that too much,’ responded Kyrgios. ‘With everything going on, that’s the least of my worries.’
When I’m playing tennis, I’m playing for a lot more than myself just now