Nick Kyrgios is bad for professional tennis. He used to be good for the sport and he will probably be good for the sport in the future, but presently he is the opposite. His recent actions are having a negative effect in the tennis world for many reasons.
During his match against Stan Wawrinka at the Rogers Cup in Montreal, Kyrgios made lewd remarks regarding Wawrinka's girlfriend. Much has occurred since the incident, including Krygios being fined as well as an ensuing investigation by the ATP Tour for further penalty, a media frenzy to cover statements made by both players' teams, and further talk of Kyrgios' behavior problems from people all over the world. Nick Kyrgios is quickly becoming one of the world's most hated athletes, depicted by the Montreal crowd booing him throughout his following round match against John Isner.
I'm not going to go into detail of every single moment of this controversy because too many people have become involved and the event is still ongoing, but I will analyze why Nick Kyrgios is currently bad for tennis.
To start, Nick Kyrgios is making himself look very bad. At Wimbledon, where Kyrgios already had backlash from the tennis community for his rude behavior, people were annoyed by his actions. But there, they attributed it to his young age and short time on the ATP Tour. They compared him to another Australian tennis player, the legend Lleyton Hewitt, who also had behavioral issues at the start of his career. They said Kyrgios would grow out of it just like Hewitt did. But Hewitt never brought personal matters onto the court like Kyrgios has. Nick may be younger than many of his competitors but he is is 20 years old - an adult, and far too old to be publicly saying lewd remarks. If he continues on this path, Kyrgios could begin endangering his endorsement deals and marketability. He is quickly destroying his reputation and pegging himself as the kid who can't keep his mouth shut.
Nick Kyrgios is giving a bad name to young players, making it seem like young players are naturally inclined to act immature. But his Australian compatriot Kokkinakis, who is in the middle of this drama thanks to Kyrgios, has shown his maturity amongst the constant mayhem surrounding Tennis Australia. Belinda Bencic, the 18-year-old Swiss prodigy, is impressing everyone with her remarkable play the past season; Serena Williams herself has marked her as the next best tennis champion. Unlike Kyrgios, she has shown incredible maturity despite similar expectations and attention. So it's time to stop attributing Kyrgios' actions to his age and start blaming the person.
Of course, this incident makes Wawrinka, Kokkinakis and Donna Vekic, Wawrinka's girlfriend and fellow professional tennis player, look bad. The negative spotlight surrounding each of these players now could greatly affect their games, especially for Vekic who is already having a tumultuous season. Everywhere they go, this story is going to be following them for quite some time.
Even players not directly involved are affected by the incident. Djokovic, Nadal, and Azarenka, just to name a few, have all condemned Kyrgios' actions publicly. These players are being asked about him in interviews and press conferences, rather than being asked about their matches. The player's focus is being forced away from their own games and onto Kyrgios and that isn't fair to them.
Also unfair is that this event has detracted attention to tennis stories that are deserving of positive attention. Vicky Duval, the teenage American tennis player who made headlines at the 2013 US Open for upsetting 2011 US Open champion Sam Stosur in the first round, has finally returned to professional tennis after successfully battling Hodgkin's lymphoma. She made the quarterfinals in her first tournament back, a remarkable feat which was overshadowed by Kyrgios' behavior. These type of feel-good stories are truly deserving of the world's attention.
The sport itself is taking a hit because of Kyrgios remarks. Attention now has to be placed on righting this wrong by people from all spectrum of the tennis community. Tennis Australia has to address the problem and will face most likely face backlash whenever Kyrgios plays, The ATP Tour now has to investigate Kyrgios and any further actions they take will be scrutinized, and the WTA Tour's CEO Stacey McAllister has even voiced her opinion on the matter, among many others. The incident has essentially created a cold war in the tennis world with more drama seemingly imminent.
Nick Kyrgios may have apologized for his actions, but that doesn't seem like enough, especially with his family's continued justifying his actions. It doesn't seem like Kyrgios actually understands the negative impact he has created. I would personally like to see the ATP uphold their rule and prohibit him from playing on the tour for some time. A simple fine isn't enough for someone who makes as much money as Kyrgios does. He needs to take time off, reevaluate the type of player he wants to be, and come back with respect.
