Aussie Darcy
Bionic Poster
Nick Kyrgios, tennis’ new bad boy, is so toxic Rafael Nadal was reluctant to play with him in doubles on Wednesday at the John McEnroe Tennis Academy’s charity event, according to a source.
Nadal and Kyrgios, who is from Australia, were supposed to be in the doubles match at Sportime on Randall’s Island but the line-up was rearranged. Nadal, the Spaniard seeded eighth at the US Open, instead played a singles match against Aussie Lleyton Hewitt. The doubles featured John McEnroe and Kyrgios versus Patrick McEnroe and Jonas Bjorkman.
That John McEnroe invited Kyrgios in the wake of his unspeakable behaviour speaks to the ying-yang of the Aussie’s career. He’s still got a huge upside, making his behaviour even more intriguing. His serve is blistering, he’s supremely athletic and everyone is waiting for his grand slam breakthrough.
The ATP has hit Kyrgios with a series of sanctions after his on-court incident with Stan Wawrinka in Montreal when he told the Swiss player his girlfriend was being “banged’’ by his Aussie compatriot Thanasi Kokkinakis. The remark was caught on tape.
When a question was asked to Nadal about Kyrgios on Wednesday, McEnroe stepped in to answer.
After winning in doubles, Kyrgios only accepted one question about the incident.
“It’s over now,’’ Kyrgios said. “Everyone’s moved on from it. And I’m playing really good tennis. It’s part of the journey. I don’t think anyone was perfect when they were 20. It wasn’t the best thing. But I learned from that and keep maturing every day.’’
In Montreal, Nadal ripped Kyrgios, who stunned him at Wimbledon in 2014 to explode onto the scene.
“I don’t understand very well why he said that,’’ Nadal said. “It is completely unnecessary. It is out of what a tennis match should be. Age is not an excuse. It’s just about respect. He was wrong.’’
When Kyrgios was introduced to the crowd, the P.A. announcer stated: “He’s been in the news lately. He could’ve easily passed on tonight’s event but did it for the kids.’’
McEnroe said he believes Kyrgios tanked a Wimbledon match against Richard Gasquet. His ranking is 38th and McEnroe, a former bad boy himself, admits the kid with the multi-hued Mohawk has “charisma”.
“One thing I can’t condone is watching any player, throwing the towel for a period,’’ McEnroe said. “He tanked a game against Gasquet. He sort of denied it, but it was obvious that he did. He’s having such issues right now. The pressure’s getting to him. As a 20-year-old kid, I did my share of dumb things, inappropriate things at times. The good part is I had people that I looked at.’’
Nadal and Kyrgios, who is from Australia, were supposed to be in the doubles match at Sportime on Randall’s Island but the line-up was rearranged. Nadal, the Spaniard seeded eighth at the US Open, instead played a singles match against Aussie Lleyton Hewitt. The doubles featured John McEnroe and Kyrgios versus Patrick McEnroe and Jonas Bjorkman.
That John McEnroe invited Kyrgios in the wake of his unspeakable behaviour speaks to the ying-yang of the Aussie’s career. He’s still got a huge upside, making his behaviour even more intriguing. His serve is blistering, he’s supremely athletic and everyone is waiting for his grand slam breakthrough.
The ATP has hit Kyrgios with a series of sanctions after his on-court incident with Stan Wawrinka in Montreal when he told the Swiss player his girlfriend was being “banged’’ by his Aussie compatriot Thanasi Kokkinakis. The remark was caught on tape.
When a question was asked to Nadal about Kyrgios on Wednesday, McEnroe stepped in to answer.
After winning in doubles, Kyrgios only accepted one question about the incident.
“It’s over now,’’ Kyrgios said. “Everyone’s moved on from it. And I’m playing really good tennis. It’s part of the journey. I don’t think anyone was perfect when they were 20. It wasn’t the best thing. But I learned from that and keep maturing every day.’’
In Montreal, Nadal ripped Kyrgios, who stunned him at Wimbledon in 2014 to explode onto the scene.
“I don’t understand very well why he said that,’’ Nadal said. “It is completely unnecessary. It is out of what a tennis match should be. Age is not an excuse. It’s just about respect. He was wrong.’’
When Kyrgios was introduced to the crowd, the P.A. announcer stated: “He’s been in the news lately. He could’ve easily passed on tonight’s event but did it for the kids.’’
McEnroe said he believes Kyrgios tanked a Wimbledon match against Richard Gasquet. His ranking is 38th and McEnroe, a former bad boy himself, admits the kid with the multi-hued Mohawk has “charisma”.
“One thing I can’t condone is watching any player, throwing the towel for a period,’’ McEnroe said. “He tanked a game against Gasquet. He sort of denied it, but it was obvious that he did. He’s having such issues right now. The pressure’s getting to him. As a 20-year-old kid, I did my share of dumb things, inappropriate things at times. The good part is I had people that I looked at.’’
