From a fan perspective, Nick Kyrgios is a bit of a mystery. Despite a long list of controversial antics, comments, and shenanigans that’ll make notorious tennis bad-boy John McEnroe seem like a saint, fans still like the dude for some reason.
This was best exemplified during his fourth-round loss to Rafael Nadal at the 2020 Australian Open. Despite going up against one of tennis’ all-time greats and most beloved sportsmen to have ever walked this earth, the fan support was firmly in Nick Kyrgios’ corner. Sure there’s the patriotism factor in play, but rarely has Nadal been cast in the villainous role. Hell, he even received boos on a few occasions. That’s rarer than a unicorn.
The only time when the crowd isn’t fully in Rafael Nadal’s corner is when he plays Roger Federer, so it brings up the interesting question of what is it about Kyrgios that makes him such a beloved sportsperson despite his history of being, uh, an unsavoury character on the tennis court.
After watching the entirety of Kyrgios’ loss to Nadal at the Australian Open, I think I’ve finally worked out the Aussie’s appeal and relatability: he clearly and passionately HATES his job.
While the likes of Rafael Nadal and Roger Federer clearly love their job and do their utmost best to succeed at all times, that’s not relatable to most and is downright annoying to a heap of people.
But Nick Kyrgios? He’s clearly good at his job but doesn’t give enough of a crap to find out and has clearly expressed his disdain for his occupation. He’d much rather be at home playing video games or basketball than practising or dealing with the obligations that come with being an elite sportsperson, and yet he still turns up to “work” every soul-destroying day because that’s his “job.”
You could go one further and say that Kyrgios is the miserable person who hates his job and takes it out on everybody else who’s just trying to do their own job.
To be fair to Kyrgios, I’d also hate my job if I was hounded and bullied on a daily basis for not putting in 100 percent effort by everyone.
Say what you will about Nick Kyrgios and his antics but no sportsperson better personifies “hating a job you’re great at with a passion” than he does.
This isn’t to say that his antics are excusable of if he’s actually “good” for tennis (that’s a conversation for another time). All I’m saying is that not everyone can relate to otherworldly talents like Federer and Nadal, but the lazy apathy of wanting to chuck a sickie from Kyrgios is something we can all understand.
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