"Stop being a hater" - Eugenie Bouchard defends Nick Kyrgios over backlash surrounding his stint as a commentator

Canadian tennis star Eugenie Bouchard recently came out in support of Australia's Nick Kyrgios after the latter faced backlash over his commentary gig amid the 2023 ATP Finals.

Multiple injuries have kept Nick Kyrgios out of on-court action for almost the entire 2023 season. He has professionally competed on just one occasion this year. He faced China's Yibing Wu at the Stuttgart Open in June.

The Australian was in contention to compete at tournaments like the Australian Open, Wimbledon Championships, and the US Open but was ultimately forced to withdraw from each event. He is expected to make a comeback at the Brisbane International tournament, which is scheduled to start on December 31, 2023.

The 28-year-old, however, has not distanced himself from the sport as he offered his expertise for the Tennis Channel's ATP Finals coverage recently. He also commentated during the round-robin tie between Daniil Medvedev and Alexander Zverev.

Kyrgios apparently enjoyed his first day behind the microphone. During the live coverage, he said:

"I feel like I'm a student of the game. I can give insights. You know I've been on court with most of these guys, I've shared locker room moments. I can give bit of a different look."

Because of the Australian's notorious reputation, he, however, faced a lot of backlash recently on social media, with netizens decrying the amount of attention he has received.

Amid all the chaos, Nick Kyrgios has found a supporter in Eugenie Bouchard, who was recently a part of Canada's Billie Jean King Cup glory. The Canadian took to Instagram to silence one of the Australian's critics.

"When are you people going to stop giving this guy a platform," the critic wrote.

Bouchard responded to the critic's comment, writing:

"Stop being a hater!"

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Nick Kyrgios believes "the stars have to align a little bit" for his comeback

Nick Kyrgios addresses a press conference at the Australia Open 2023

Nick Kyrgios recently admitted to believing in luck as far as the prospects of his much-awaited comeback to tennis courts go.

"The stars have to align a little bit," he said on live TV (via Tennis Channel).

The 28-year-old stated that he is motivated to compete again, saying:

"After last year, I had such a great year and I'm so hungry to get back out there. So I'm doing everything I can to get back out there. Obviously, you know how injuries are every day, just doing the rehab, doing the gym work."