Known as one of the biggest entertainers in the tennis world, Nick Kyrgios has often implied in the past that he played just to have fun and entertain people.
However, fans saw the statement change for the first time this season as he realized his true potential and started taking his game seriously. A number of experts have remarked multiple times that the Australian is extremely talented and that he just needs the right guidance.
Although he has managed to win just one singles title — the Citi Open — this year, the highest point of Kyrgios' career, so far, is considered to be the 2022 Wimbledon Championships, where he reached a Grand Slam final for the first time. Despite losing to 21-time Major winner Novak Djokovic in four sets, the Aussie impressed everyone enough to count him among the top contenders for the 2022 US Open, where he reached the quarterfinals.
What the 27-year-old is also popular for is speaking his mind and his rather objectionable behavior on the court. Hardly a match goes by where Kyrgios isn't involved in a condemnable act, for example, shouting at the chair umpire and even his own player's box, using foul language, spitting on the court, smashing racquets, and arguing with the spectators.
It's because of repeated actions like these that quite a large section of the media and fans despise the flamboyant player. But it turns out that, like Djokovic, Kyrgios feeds on the criticism and derives motivation from it. The star recently took to social media to share a video of some of the best points that he has played this year. But what he wrote in the caption stole everyone's attention.
Nick Kyrgios, who won his first Major at the Australian Open in the doubles category along with Thanasi Kokkinakis, wrote that he finished the season as Australia's top singles and doubles player and still, the media won't write about it. He also hinted at further stepping up and getting ready for 2023.
"Played 13 events, finished number 1 in Australia for singles and doubles, MEDIA AIN’T GONNA WRITE BOUT THAT. 2023 energy going to be dark," Nick Kyrgios wrote.
Nick Kyrgios settles case with fan he accused of being drunk at Wimbledon
During the Wimbledon title match against Novak Djokovic in July, Nick Kyrgios was apparently getting distracted by a particular spectator about whom he complained to the chair umpire, saying, "She looked like she has had about 700 drinks." The fan, Anna Palus, was even escorted out of the stands for a while. She later revealed that she was cheering for the Aussie since he was the underdog.
Kyrgios' on-court statements about Palus didn't go down well with her and she later filed a defamation case against him. She won the case and Kyrgios apologized, donating a certain amount to the charity of the fan's choice.
"I told the umpire that a fan, who I now know to be Anna Palus, was distracting me during the match, believing that she was drunk," Kyrgios said. "I accept that belief was mistaken, and I apologize. To make amends, I have donated £20,000 to the Great Ormond Street Hospital Charity, a charity chosen by Ms. Palus. I will not be commenting on this matter again."
How did Novak Djokovic meet Jelena Ristic? All about the most admired couples in tennis