‘Nick Kyrgios doesn’t deserve Aussie sports fans’ support’

Temperamental tennis pro Nick Kyrgios is a divisive character. But there’s no fence-sitting from Fairfax’s columnist Malcolm Knox, who says that Kyrgios is “taking bids on the price of our national sporting principles”.

Knox says that Kyrgios’ appearance in the Australian uniform at this weekend’s Davis Cup at the weekend will force Aussies to decide whether they they have any self respect, or whether a few cheap wins is all the stand between them and the surrender of their pride.

“Now for Australia to ask itself: will on-court success whitewash their reservations about Kyrgios’ personality? Should he reach his potential and begin winning major tournaments, will Australia forgive him (or script for their own absolution and willed amnesia), and rewrite the past as a story of perfectly understandable youthful indiscretion?” the sports columnist writes, referring to the tennis player’s tempestuous past.

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Kyrgios, who’s playing a singles match against American John Isner today, before taking on Jack Sock from the US on Sunday, has had a love-hate relationships with fans to rival that of a youthful Leighton Hewitt. He’s received numerous code violations for threatening to stop play and abusing linesmen and umpires, he’s smashed rackets, been booed by the crowed at Wimbledon for apparently ‘tanking’ and insulted opponents.

Last October he was fined and banned for throwing a match at the Shanghai Rolex Masters. When asked whether he thought he owed fans a better effort, the tennis player reportedly replied, “What does that even mean? I’m good at hitting a tennis ball at the net. Big deal. I don’t owe them anything. If you don’t like it, I didn’t ask you to come watch. Just leave”, Wikipedia records.

Even legendary tennis bad boy John McEnroe has criticised Kyrgios’ attitude, saying that if the young player didn’t want to be a pro, he should just do something else.

All of this, Knox argues, means that Aussies shouldn’t celebrate Kyrgios if he performs well in the Davis Cup, even though the nation traditionally loves a winner. This is because to cheer Kyrgios was to disrespect other young sportspeople who competed more honourably, the columnist says.

“Kyrgios himself has shown zero regard for what Australians think of him, and that disregard ought to be mutual,” Knox writes.

What do you think about Malcolm Knox’s argument – should sports fans support an athlete with a bad attitude? What do you think of Nick Kyrgios?