NICK KYRGIOS
is not a bully.
He is not ’mean’.
He is someone whose personality and emotions are not always in check.
He wears his heart on his sleeve.
His humour is mischievous.
He is playful.
When he disputes things, he is often incisive, perceptive and correct.
He self-deprecates as well.
because he knows who he is.
He is hilarious when he comments under his breath on his own play during a game.
He figured out early in his career the expectations of Australian media were harsh and somewhat gratuitous.
He wasn’t ever ‘quite Aussie enough’.
Frankly, the media are simply not perceptive, not interested in truth and seek only to sensationalise some trivial thing for a scoop or a story. Mostly, when you see Nick Kyrgios in the headlines it’s a beat-up, a storm in a teacup. So, rightly fed up with this wilfully malfeasant media, he made a personal decision to do things his way. He couldn’t please them no matter what he did, so he stopped bothering. Who could blame him?
There are times in our lives when we must follow our own instincts.
The recent opinion by a white privileged journalist who wanted to revoke his passport and kick him off the island was in extreme distaste.
Her ignorance was breathtaking. Citizenship cannot be revoked and revoking his passport would serve only to keep him ‘on the island’ – the opposite of what she was seeking.
Furthermore, there are many ‘Strayian’ travellers overseas already representing our Country in positive and negative ways, so Nick does not shoulder this on his own.
The op-ed was so poorly conceived and executed that it invalidated any salient point that may have been made.
It was interpreted by many ethnic Australian communities as racist.
I did not wish to read it that way at first blush but on further reflection that op-ed showed a glaringly ugly attitude towards our community – that we were still ‘guests’ in ‘White Australia’ and citizenship rights must still be earned and could be revoked. I don’t see the same call for criminals or people who actually do bad things to be deported.
Nick has done and still does many wonderful kind things, but the media and some snobby extremely white Australians still want to criticise him.
Some of these criticisms are plainly ridiculous.
Such as ‘he brings the game of tennis into disrepute
This is laughable – what? – he does do this on his own??
As if he’s the only person to behave badly on the court?
One person even cited McEnroe as an exemplar of good behaviour.
Tennis in the last 40 years is full of these characteristics.
NK does not ’conform’?
So what?
As for Stefanos’ recent criticism- well, he doesn’t always behave perfectly either and they have enjoyed many fun moments together. Even the current greats are not exemplars of perfect behaviour 100% of the time. As if some of their idiosyncrasies are not annoying for the other players and arguably a more subtle version of gamesmanship.
When many Australian tennis fans turned on Djokovic, a great champion, valued guest to our country and ornament to our precious Grand Slam, it was Nick who was brave enough to stand against the bubble and support Djokovic’s personal right to choose for his own body – his tool of the trade.
I’ve watched tennis since I was young.
Characters and champions come and go.
Some are better than others.
It’s absurd to compare from different eras – they compete in their own era complete with its own social mores.
‘Gentlemen’s Lawn Tennis’ changed a long time ago.
It’s not only Tennis that has changed.
Society has changed.
It is ever-changing…..
NK is not perfect but he is authentic and in today’s world where authenticity is hard to find…I appreciate that.
It would be great if he could add a Grand Slam title to his name….
