Justin Quill: Nick Kyrgios an embarrassment, not an Olympian

Selfish Nick Kyrgios is the poster boy for the argument that sportspeople should pay back the money splurged on them through AIS scholarships – just like a HECS debt.

Nick Kyrgios has once again pulled out of the Olympic team. Picture: Getty

Nick Kyrgios has done it again. He’s let Australia down.

I’ve never been a fan of Kyrgios, but after he pulled out of the Australian Olympic team – again – I am totally and utterly off him.

I consider Kyrgios a disgrace and an embarrassment to Australia. Frankly, I wish we could ban him from competing under the Australian flag.

I hope Tennis Australia has finally learnt its lesson that this selfish leopard will never change his spots and ban him from competing for Australia in events like the Davis Cup. Kyrgios is not deserving of our green and gold.

When Kyrgios threw his dummy out of the cot in 2016, he did so because of what he called the “AOC’s unfair and unjust treatment of me”. It seems he wanted the red carpet and the then chef De mission – Kitty Chiller – didn’t roll it out for him.

But Kyrgios said at the time, “representing Australia at the Olympic Games has been a dream of mine since I was a kid”.

Nick Kyrgios retired injured during his third round match at Wimbledon. Picture: Getty

Kyrgios hasn’t got any idea of what an Olympic dream really is. It’s the thing that has driven countless athletes over decades to strive for excellence hour after hour and day after day – usually for no money and little adulation.

He doesn’t seem to have the character or courage to even understand those concepts, let alone implement them.

It was galling to read him use the words Olympic dream in 2016.

Fast forward five years and his statement on Friday read, “It’s been my dream to represent Australia at the Olympics”.

Empty words.

Sorry, Nick – if it were really your “dream”, you wouldn’t have thrown it away. Twice. You would have worked as hard as you could to attain it and done everything possible in your power to be there.

That’s what having an Olympic dream means. You disrespect every person who’s ever had an Olympic dream.

The Olympics only come around every four years. It’s not like footy or tennis, where you can have another crack next week.

Kyrgios is the poster boy for the argument that our sportspeople should have to pay back the money spent on them through their AIS scholarships – just like a HECS debt.

He will never be able to call himself an “Olympian” and he doesn’t deserve to.

Kyrgios cited as reasons for pulling out both the fact no fans would be in the stadium and his recent injury. Neither excuse cuts the mustard.

Nick Kyrgios with his partner Chiara Passari at Wimbledon. Picture: Instagram

Every competitor would prefer crowds at the Olympics. But a real Olympian wouldn’t use the lack of crowds as a reason not to compete.

I trained for more than 10 years for a spot on the Australian Olympic team. I did absolutely everything I could to make it. I failed. And it’s dogged me ever since.

But I can tell you, I would have competed in the Arctic Circle with no crowds or television coverage if that’s what it took to be an Olympian.

What about the injury? Normally I’d have great sympathy for injured athletes. Especially ones with “Olympic dreams”.

But Kyrgios’ injury shouldn’t surprise us.

He did at Wimbledon what he has done at so many tournaments – turned up without a coach and without any proper conditioning. It’s no wonder he injured himself.

As soon as he played his first five-set match I knew he wouldn’t be able to last the tournament. He just hadn’t done the work. So don’t feel any sympathy for his injury.

Kyrgios’ statement announcing he was letting his country down again coincided with Ash Barty’s magnificent performance in making a Wimbledon final. What a contrast. It’s like comparing Princess Leia with Darth Vader.

Barty is such a wonderful representative and role model for Australia and its Indigenous community. Barty works hard, competes fair and speaks humbly. She is everything Kyrgios is not.

And it’s no coincidence she has one – and hopefully soon two – Grand Slams to her name while he has none. Kyrgios on the other hand said this month he didn’t care about winning Grand Slams.

He said, “I know that’s going to make a lot of people angry. He should be doing this. But I shouldn’t, though. It’s not your life, it’s mine. I’m OK with just enjoying myself, putting on a show.”

People seemed to relate to that – perhaps because we now live in a “you can do anything you want” world. Frankly, I just don’t like seeing people waste their talent.

Don’t get me wrong, I’m not saying Kyrgios is a bad person. He showed genuine empathy during the 2019 bushfires.

I also suspect he would be entertaining to have a beer with – not that he would want to have one with me.

I think he’ll live to regret his attitude, but he’s right, he’s entitled to not care about Grand Slams. Equally, I’m entitled to think he is an embarrassment to our sporting pride.

Kyrgios shouldn’t let our country down by signing up for the Olympic team and then pulling out — twice. Especially when accompanying it with what seemed to me to be the empty words of his statement.

He will eventually retire and drift off into irrelevancy. For me, that day can’t come soon enough.

Justin Quill is a lawyer who represents News Corp.

He is a former AIS Scholarship holder who represented Australia at World Championships and made two shadow Olympic teams.

Originally published as Justin Quill: Nick Kyrgios an embarrassment, not an Olympian