Kyrgios Kid

Ok, I’ll admit it, when I first watched Kyrgios, I thought, what an ass h***e! His antics and comments such as the ones made to Wawrinka late last year bring himself and the sport into disrepute, but despite it all, I cant help finding myself becoming a fan! What’s going on?

Everyone knows he runs the gauntlet of what is acceptable to do and say on the tennis court and this year’s Australian Open was no different.
In his second round match he became noticeably frustrated in the warm up and first game, while looking to embarrass his opponent Cuevas with trick shots. Against Berdych today, he had an ongoing feud with poor umpire, Keothovong who didn’t put a foot wrong.

However, it’s undeniable that he brings some much-needed spice to the game.

He engages the crowd, the umpire, and his opponent in a dialogue or controversy that’s almost always imagined up or exaggerated, and he follows it with some of the most unbelievable shots you’ll see on tour.

Today he was two sets to one down and facing two break points at 3-2 in the fourth. Just as you think he’s lost his head and the match is slipping away – bang! Three monstrous serves come down, one, a second serve at 123 mph and Berdych is left scratching his head as to how.

There’s a lot of talk about him curbing his wild side to help his game, but in my view it helps him in certain situations.

Today’s match is a perfect example, Berdych was cruising, and playing exceptional tennis but was put off by the young Aussie and a comeback looked on the cards.

He threw Berdych’s rhythm, through a combination of big serving, slap shots and external antics, but eventually fell short of the experienced Czech, 6-3 6-4 1-6 6-4 and ultimately I was left disappointed.

Kyrgios’ antics definitely hinder him in some circumstances but in others they help him come back from the dead. To improve, he will undoubtedly need to tighten up his concentration but to completely eradicate the antics would not only be to his own detriment but to the detriment of entertainment!

Consider me a reformed Kyrgios fan!