Kyrgios in an interview with Coco Gauff ahead of the first Grand Slam of the year Photo: Getty Images/Graham Denholm
Thanks to Eurosport for that he retained the services of Nick Kyrgios at the Australian Open. It was a bold booking that paid off.
The temperamental Australian provided commentary and chatted with players during the first tournament. week of his home tennis tournament, appearing on both Eurosport here and ESPN in the US. He was a breath of fresh air.
Kyrgios, young people say, is a high-energy guy: passionate, unfiltered, able to use his emotions to play superbly, but also prone to getting overwhelmed and having meltdowns. These qualities made him a promising player, but at the same time, they may have prevented him from taking the final steps to becoming a champion. If we talk about talent alone, then his results should be better than one participation in the final of a Grand Slam tournament and two matches in the quarterfinals.
But perfect players don't necessarily make the best commentators, and Kyrgios's combination of brashness and neediness is an observable combination. He pairs especially well with John McEnroe, who you feel is a kindred spirit at ESPN. Eurosport used Kyrgios more as a random man of colour, probably in the belief that he wasn't expected to do too much good. They have him conduct post-game chats with the players under the adult supervision of Barbara Schett or another seasoned broadcaster, and it's within the bounds of acceptable banter.
He's thankfully nowhere near that. as stupid as he looks. Teenage Kevin-style hoodies and baseball caps hide a man who can speak thoughtfully and insightfully when the mood strikes him.
His most compelling work this week was with Novak Djokovic, a player with whom he had an intriguing love-hate dynamic. He provided excellent commentary, explaining how Djokovic's open stance allows him to hit certain areas of the court so well: Like many so-called independent players in many sports, Kyrgios is astute in the technical side of the game, and it is always instructive to hear from players who are still active at a high level. Many sports are evolving at such a pace that even five years after retirement can seem like another era. And the commentary work at least keeps young Mister Nick off the streets. “I’m just waiting to get better,” he said. “I’m trying to balance it, balance my body. Meanwhile, the mouth is still working normally.”
True. He spoke about his friendship with Djokovic, telling viewers: “We talk almost every day and send each other memes.” I wonder if Djokovic, a supremely ruthless opponent, considers Kyrgios one of the few people who can bother him if he gets into a zone of concentrated rage, and has realized that the best way to neutralize him is through friendship rather than enmity with the Australian? Likewise, you should never attempt to ride Virat Kohli's sled for fear of completely focusing your laser-like determination.
It's hard to imagine a friendship with a man like Djokovic being anything other than asymmetrical, and this odd pairing reminds me of an exchange in a BBC athletics report featuring Michael Johnson about the great man that they were Ato Boldon and Maurice Green. training partners and how beneficial it should be for both of them. Knowing the personalities involved, Johnson said witheringly, “Well, that's good for Maurice.” 2000 Olympics: Boldon silver, Green gold.
Kyrgios was Djokovic's one-man cheerleader, telling the tournament favorite he would take the court and fight WWE style if Djokovic needed help sorting out his by critics. He came to his man's defense when commenting on the Thomas Martin Echeverry match where Djokovic was timed out on his serve, saying: “There's no need for that, it's ridiculous! That's just funny! It's like they [the judges] are getting bored and just want to say something instead of the score.”
While Kyrgios' best place remains the tennis court, he was a welcome addition to the game this week. and while you'd never rule out our on-air tantrums getting him into trouble with Ofcom, we hope this could be the start of a long and interesting second career in the media.
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