The rise and fall of Nick Kyrgios
Regarded by many as one of the most naturally talented players on the ATP Tour, Nick Kyrgios has endured a roller coaster season. In a year where he won a trio of titles, including his first ATP 500 title, the Australian made headlines for his dismal performance against Germany’s Mischa Zverev at the Shanghai Masters.
Kyrgios entered the tournaments with good momentum on his side after triumphing at the Tokyo Open, but fatigue took its toll as a poor performance marred his breakthrough. Disengaged in the match, the 21-year-old was booed by the crowd as he made minimal effort.
Dejarse perder le cuesta a Nick Kyrgios una multa de 16 mil 500 dólares. 😱 😱 pic.twitter.com/dKPTja3tSO
— Álvaro Morales (@AlvaritoMorales) 13 October 2016
It wasn’t just his performance that stirred controversy, it was also his engagement with the crowd. After a fan shouted ‘respect the game’ to the Australian, he responded in a somewhat unconventional way.
“You wanna come here and play? …. Sit down & shut up and watch.” He said.
A lukewarm apology from Kyrgios after the match wasn’t enough to prevent him from being heavily penalised. On October 17th he received a $25,000 fine and a eight-week ban from the ATP, ending his season. The governing body found Kyrgios guilty of unsportsmanlike conduct.
Kyrgios’ suspension has since been reduced after he agreed to enlist the help of an ATP-approved sports psychologist (or somebody of equal prominence) in accordance to the proposed ‘care plan’ set out by the ATP.
Kyrgios currently travels without a coach despite numerous figures offering their help. Mark Philippoussis, Jimmy Connors and Pete Sampras have all publicly indicated that they would like to work with either Kyrgios or somebody of a similar calibre.
