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The coronavirus has turned sport on its head and nowhere extra so than in tennis, the place the often-controversial Nick Kyrgios has been anointed as “St. Nick” for his ethical management through the pandemic. Best recognized for his flamboyant persona and spectacular on-court tantrums, Kyrgios has lengthy been a provocative and polarising determine as he racked up a string of fines and bans. But the flamable Australian has proven a unique aspect in current weeks as he took Novak Djokovic and different high gamers to job for his or her “stupidity” and dangerous behaviour.
It adopted the world primary’s choice to press forward with an exhibition match within the Balkans, the place social distancing was minimal. Djokovic, Grigor Dimitrov, Borna Coric and Viktor Troicki all tested positive for COVID-19.
“Don’t @ me for anything I’ve done that has been ‘irresponsible’ or classified as ‘stupidity’ – this takes the cake,” Kyrgios tweeted.
Kyrgios additionally lashed “selfish” Alexander Zverev after he was noticed partying regardless of vowing to self-isolate following Djokovic’s Adria Tour, whereas questioning Dominic Thiem’s mind after the Austrian hit out at his criticism.
The exchanges observe Kyrgios’s admirable, and infrequently emotional, efforts to drum up assist for victims of the devastating bushfires that ripped by Australia this yr, incomes him new respect.
Often lamented within the media as a loud mouth and wasted expertise, Sydney’s Daily Telegraph is now calling 40th-ranked Kyrgios the “voice of reason”.
“Crazy events are happening every day in sport but the wackiest of all is Nick Kyrgios becoming a COVID crusader and the clear-thinking conscience of a twisted tennis world,” it wrote lately. “St Nick. Moral guardian. Who’d a thunk it?”
Tennis nice John Newcombe additionally praised him for calling out gamers flouting COVID-19 protocols, however prompt he ought to achieve this much less publicly.
“I know when we were playing, if you had a problem you took it to the person. You didn’t make it public. But it’s a different world, I guess,” he instructed reporters.
‘Cringeworthy’
The “new Nick” is to not everybody’s liking, with some on social media suggesting he was utilizing the pandemic to lift his profile and re-ignite feuds with gamers he does not get on with.
“He’s trying to be relevant off the court cuz everyone knows he can’t ever deliver on the court,” stated one person, whereas one other prompt: “He’s using the virus as an excuse to do what he’s always done which is criticise other players on social media.”
That criticism contains Djokovic, after final yr Kyrgios stated of the Serb: “I just feel like he has a sick obsession with wanting to be liked.”
“This whole celebration thing (blowing kisses to the crowd) that he does after matches, it’s like so cringeworthy,” he added.
Kyrgios additionally has historical past with Zverev, whom he enraged in January by provocatively performing push-ups when the German was serving double faults through the ATP Cup.
While Kyrgios, 25, will at all times have his tits, he additionally has a giant fanbase with 1.four million Instagram followers and a whole lot of 1000’s on Twitter.
As Serena Williams’ coach Patrick Mouratoglou famous this week: “He (Kyrgios) is one of the only guys beside the top three who fills up the stadiums.”
“He is provocative and he exaggerates but that’s how he is and that’s why he is an interesting character and a lot of people like him,” he added.
Promoted
The Sydney Morning Herald prompt Kyrgios’ COVID-19 criticisms had been “part of an image-rebuild” that began together with his bushfire fundraising after a sequence of on-court scandals final yr.
“He has endorsements with Nike, Yonex and Beats headphones. Now that he is the world ambassador against tennis dickheads, he puts himself even more firmly into the hands of corporate image-makers,” it wrote.
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