For Better or Worse: The Nick Kyrgios Dilemma

The 25-year-old Australian has become subject to massive excitement and disgust throughout his years of tour. For better or worse, Nick Kyrgios is a centerpiece of tennis.

Other than the sacred “GOAT” debate, no other topic in tennis has garnered as much support and criticism than the topic of one man: Nick Kyrgios. Some love to hate him, others hate to love him, but all in all, it’s just a split decision.

Kyrgios, despite being ranked 40th in the world, is just as recognizable as anyone in the top 20. If I tested tennis fans with a picture, both casual ones and enthusiasts, the overwhelming majority would know instantly who’s in the picture. Whether it’s his signature blonde patch in his fade haircut or his collection of NBA jerseys he selflessly wears both on and off the tennis court, Kyrgios is a tennis figure right up there with today’s biggest names.

We’ve all heard opinions on the 25-year-old Aussie: disrespectful, immature, the whole nine yards. Countless arguments have sprung up about his wasted natural talent and idleness to his style, for a lack of better words. Trickshots take place of winners and an argument with an umpire takes place of a peaceful changeover.

"“Unfortunately, Kyrgios is good at tennis. Today’s kids want to see it. I am from another era, but it is not my style. He has tremendous natural talent and it’s a shame he doesn’t try a little harder, but he has made the decision to do things differently.”"

This was a recent quote by Toni Nadal. It perfectly sums up the feelings of many people in the tennis community. They implore him to try harder because not everyone has natural talent as he does. It’s a shame, some might say. It’s a waste, say others. These are fair claims. Kyrgios isn’t one to give much effort at all if it isn’t a center stage match against the Big 3. It’s gone as far as to say Kyrgios might even retire once the hang up their rackets; who else is he going to give it his all against?

(That’s an unlikely statement but who knows?)

For many Nick Kyrgios is “bad for tennis”. Let’s look at the other side of the coin. Are there reasons to claim that he’s a good asset for the sport?

In fact, there are some reasons. Tennis is a sport largely dominated by fans well past the prime years of their lives. Patrick Mouratoglou, in defense of his new ‘Ultimate Tennis Showdown’, stated this:

61 years old! It isn’t exactly a prime age for any sport. While these fans are extremely valuable, tennis is still in a tough spot. The traditionalist rules and the, frankly, “old man’s game”, that tennis has remained as is opening up questions to how the sport can adapt to the future. While the stars of today and tomorrow dominate the sport, the question still needs to be asked: Is it still working?

Those in the tennis niche might say yes. I myself even agree, but as good as a punishing rally between Rafael Nadal and Dominic Thiem is, it comes with some limits. Tour revenue is increasing and Grand Slams are just as good as they always are. The major problem that’s yet to be solved, however, ties perfectly into Mouratoglou’s claim and into Kyrgios, as well.

There aren’t many young tennis fans anymore. It’s a slow-paced sport dominated by individuals who experienced the days of John McEnroe and Pete Sampras as a child, not Federer and Nadal. I personally was born right before the changing of the guard from Sampras to Federer began and am extremely lucky to be a part of these historic last 25 years.

Thinking back on it now, though, I wasn’t a huge tennis fan until I was much older, and only recently have I really started to delve deeper into the history of the sport in order to understand more. It’s simply not an appealing sport for younger people. I grew up watching and playing tennis so I had the distinct advantage of it being imprinted into my brain. The majority of people didn’t have that advantage, which is the main reason why there isn’t a younger audience for the sport.

Nick Kyrgios puts young people in the seats. People want to see him, for amusement or for shot-making ability. People want his autograph and they want his picture. He has a natural ability, just like his tennis game, to appease casual tennis fans. He has a way of mesmerizing people, just as Jason Williams did in the 90s with his elbow passes and streetball moves. Was he the best player in the world? No, but fans sold-out arenas in order to watch him. Is Kyrgios the best player in the world? Definitely not, but if he’s playing, people want to see him.

On the other hand, Kyrgios has proven time and time again why he shouldn’t sniff the upper levels of tennis until he gets his act together. His vulgar language often finds its way to the umpires and fans. His tanking not only wastes time for his opponent but for the fans (and the valuable money they’ve wasted watching him). His on-court tantrums include a plethora of racket smashing to even throwing a stool on the court in anger.

Tennis simply doesn’t have time for this. While he viciously pounds balls for winners, a good amount of careless errors seem to always follow. His tweener is matched by no one but arguably hurts him more than helps. His on-court energy is contagious but is usually tarnished by his trademark tantrum with a linesperson.

The Big 3 will soon retire. The last 15+ years have been dominated by three men in the sport, and while the NextGen trio of Dominic Thiem, Stefanos Tsitsipas, and Alexander Zverev has shown that they’re more than capable of leading the way into the future, it isn’t going to be the same. This is why tennis needs Nick Kyrgios. He isn’t the best, he doesn’t try the hardest, and he most likely will never win a Grand Slam title this way, but when it all comes down to it, tennis needs him.

For better or worse, Kyrgios is in the daily limelight of the tennis world. Whether or not he’s truly a good influence on the sport will be debated for years to come. Maybe tennis needs a break from the cookie-cutter mold that it crafts for incoming players, or maybe that’s just what the Australian needs.

For better or worse, Nick Kyrgios is Nick Kyrgios.