Nick Kyrgios and Bernard Tomic, two Australian tennis players, are the talk of the tennis world right now, causing trouble in a multitude of fashions. Their hotheadedness is overshadowing their tennis talent. The standout rising tennis star Kyrgios received an abundance of criticism and fines for his behavior on court against Milos Raonic and Richard Gasquet, and Tomic has been officially suspended from the Davis Cup. We have here an update on all of this Australian tennis drama.
Nick Kyrgios
Kyrgios is definitely one of the best up-and-coming players. He shows immense athletic ability and tennis talent, with potential to be a top 5 player. If only his head would catch up with his talent, but I guess he is only 20 years old. Kyrgios is taking home a nice check for his fourth round appearance at Wimbledon this year, but it will be a little diminished with the multiple fines that he has racked up during his week in London. Going up against Gasquet in the fourth round, Kyrgios was already out $7500 for smashing his racket into the ground and then up into the crowd while playing Raonic. He took another $2000 fine for swearing in his match against Gasquet (who, by the way, was no angel either that match with his own $3000 fine). This is all pocket change though in comparison to the over $200,000 fine that Kyrgios has luckily evaded after appearing to tank his second set against the Frenchman. We all enjoy his big tennis and even bigger personality, but there is a line. While I’m always thoroughly entertained by Kyrgios’s tennis and on-court antics, he needs to learn to keep it to an appropriate level that doesn’t threaten to overtake his winnings paycheck.
Bernard Tomic
Apparently, Tomic hasn’t been feeling the love from Australia, and he has made it known. He verbally attacked multiple Tennis Australia officials after his third round loss against Novak Djokovic. He accused Tennis Australia for forgetting about him after his hip surgery last year, announcing that he now has to pay for practice courts and tennis balls. While he says, “It’s not about the money. It’s about the respect,” it all just sounds like shallow and superfluous whining, definitely unnecessary for the public ear.
The saga continued when former Australian Olympic gold medallist swimmer Dawn Fraser blasted Kyrgios and Tomic for their “childish” behavior. She told the young tennis players to “go back to where their fathers or their parents came from,” a comment that highlighted both of their non-Australian heritage. While she has since apologized and defended her comment as purely on a sports and behavioral level, not on a race level, the remark hasn’t gone unnoticed or been forgiven.
In this new age of top-notch Australian tennis, we can only hope that this drama dissipates and that these two men’s tennis will positively speak for them going forward.
