Advertisement
Opinion | Nick Kyrgios slams Novak Djokovic: has tennis bad boy become the sport’s expletive-laden voice of reason
- Criticism of ATP Player Council leader Novak Djokovic and tour’s US Open proposals during Covid-19 pandemic will have changed opinions
- The 25-year-old also led the sport in its response to the bush fires during this year’s Australian Open
Reading Time:4 minutes
Why you can trust SCMP
0
It’s safe to say that Nick Kyrgios’s mouth has got him into plenty of trouble over the course of his tennis career.
Last August his expletive-laden rant at an umpire in Cincinnati earned him a US$113,000 fine, an ATP record.
That was not even the first time that summer, with an incident at Queens Club a month earlier standing out.
Now, while still fond of the type of language that the ATP and tennis clubs around the world frown upon, Kyrgios has become the unlikely voice of reason.
While others have been swanning around Serbia and its surrounds on the ill-fated Adria Tour, the 25-year-old has called them out at every turn – and there have been turns aplenty.
Novak Djokovic’s charity tennis tour, which also took in some basketball, football and the region’s nightspots, has seen several star players contract coronavirus. Djokovic’s coach, the former Wimbledon champion Goran Ivanisevic is the latest to join a list including Djokovic, Grigor Dimitrov, Borna Coric and Viktor Troicki.
Advertisement
Select Voice
Choose your listening speed
Get through articles 2-3x faster
1.1x
220 WPM
Slow
Normal
Fast
1.1x