Australia’s Davis Cup world group hopes are hanging in the balance as the controversy-stricken duo of Bernard Tomic and Nick Kyrgios make their final preparations.
Facing Slovakia on grass in Sydney this weekend, Tomic and Kyrgios are eager to put behind their previous Davis Cup brawl for the sake of their country. In May this year Tomic accused his compatriot of faking illness in order to avoid playing in the competition, an accusation which Kyrgios denied.
To the relief of team captain Lleyton Hewitt, both men have since made up and resumed what appears to be a blossoming bromance. In a way they are similar characters with them both being constantly scrutinized by the media for their somewhat different behaviour. Both have endured success on the tour whilst being hit with allegations of tanking and poor conduct.
Tomic has been criticised on numerous occasions this year, including seemingly tanking during his match against Fabio Fognini at the Madrid Open and using the word ‘retard’ during a press conference at the Wimbledon championships. Regardless of the bad publicity, the 23-year-old has achieved a win-loss of 28-21 this season and reached a ranking high of 17th at the start of the year.
The breakthrough for Tomic comes during what has been a hectic year for the Australian, where he has so far played in 20 tournaments (not counting the Davis Cup). After enduring such a busy schedule, he has vowed to follow in the footsteps of Kyrgios and reduce his 2017 commitments.
“I think as you get to that point where I am – top 20, top 25 – you have to play less tournaments and be really focused and fit for all the tournaments you play.” The world No.21 told Fairfax media.
“That’s one thing Nick does very well. He plays less tournaments and plays really well at them as opposed to me. I played a few more tournaments and I’m motivated to keep travelling, which is something I have to target next year: playing definitely less.”
As for Kyrgios, it is becoming a rare occurrence where he plays a match without the media picking up on something unorthodox. Kyrgios’ most recently crime occurred at the US Open when he was involved in a disagreement with the umpire, receiving a code violation within the first ten minutes of his match against Great Britain’s Aljaz Bedene. His behaviour in New York didn’t surprise many considering his previous high-profile controversies, however, Kyrgios has argued that what people see on the court isn’t a true reflection of his personality.
“I actually really like the fact that not many people really know who I am as a person,” Kyrgios said.
“I kind of like that they have created this image of me. I like that only the people close to me really know who I am as a person. I kind of like that. I’m not at all a bad boy. I go about things the way I do it.
“I have always been true to myself and haven’t changed one bit. I like it how people have created this image that everyone thinks I’m like that, but I’m not at all.”
It is safe to say that Tomic and Kyrgios are two of Australia’s biggest talents on the tour, despite their at times questionable behaviour. Despite being roasted by numerous sporting figures in their home country, both are hoping that they will one day become Davis Cup champions.
“I would love nothing more one day than to be a Davis Cup champion with these guys and it’s all going to take a big team – not just myself.” Tomic recently said.
“It’s a challenge I’m ready to go through and hopefully one day we can win that trophy.”
The Davis Cup tie between Australian and Slovakia will start on Friday at the Sydney Olympic Park Tennis Centre in Sydney.
