Nick Kyrgios transforms from chump to champ when in green and gold
Critics rightly question Nick Kyrgios’ actions and antics when there’s nothing on the line except his own failure, but when it comes to national matters - on and off the court - he will never let anyone down.
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Novak Djokovic was right – Nick Kyrgios has made the ATP Cup entertaining.
And the best thing about it is that almost all the entertainment provided by Kyrgios has been while he’s had a racquet in his hands.
Djokovic’s praise for his rival might have been a little tongue-in-cheek considering the pair’s dislike for each other and the way the Australian jeered the Serbian from the stands in Brisbane on Monday night.
But if that’s the worst of Kyrgios’ behaviour during the ATP Cup, we can more than handle that.
Once again, representing his country in a team environment has brought the best out of Kyrgios.
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It’s a pity he doesn’t wear green and gold in every tournament his plays.
Donning his nation’s colours seems to act as a reminder to Kyrgios of not only what’s expected of him on court, but also of his prodigious talent.
His match at Pat Rafter Arena on Tuesday night against Greek star Stefanos Tsitsipas was a perfect example of what playing for Australia means to Kyrgios.
Elevated to the tie’s marquee match-up following captain Lleyton Hewitt’s decision to rest Alex de Minaur, Kyrgios responded in spades.
Tsitsipas is the reigning ATP Finals champion, but that didn’t faze Kyrgios.
There was no sign of the sore back that forced him to miss Australia’s tie against Canada two days earlier, with Kyrgios going toe-to-toe with a player many experts believe is a legitimate challenger to the “Big Three” – Djokovic, Rafa Nadal and Roger Federer.
Kyrgios didn’t give an inch and at one stage sent Tsitsipas over the edge to the point where the Greek ace smashed his racquet into a chair, hitting his father’s arm in the process.
And also we shouldn’t forget that this match didn’t matter in terms of qualification because Australia had already done enough to book a quarter-final spot.
Kyrgios might have taken the easy option and not pushed himself to the limit to win the match.
But he’s a different beast when he plays for Australia.
Had that match been in a regular tournament, Tsitsipas probably would have won.
Not because the Greek is that much better than the Aussie, but because tournament tennis has never been the be all and end all for Kyrgios.
If it was, he would be permanently entrenched in the world’s top 10.
Kyrgios was again pivotal in Australia’s quarter-final win over Great Britain in Sydney on Thursday.
Having thrashed Cameron Norrie in his singles match, Kyrgios was then called on to play doubles by Hewitt for the first time in the ATP Cup after de Minaur’s singles loss to Dan Evans.
And he again rose the occasion. While de Minuar played his part in Australia’s doubles win, Kyrgios proved the ultimate difference.
We’ve also seen an emotional side of Kyrgios as he struggles with the magnitude of the bushfires currently ravaging Australia and the effect the smoke is having on his hometown of Canberra.
His generosity with the relief effort has been both inspiring and amazing but he still wishes he would have acted sooner, such is his concern and desire to lend a hand.
There are plenty of people that question Kyrgios’ actions and antics when he’s carefree and on his own, but we’ve seen first-hand in the past 10 days that when it comes to national matters - on and off the court - he will never let anyone down.
Originally published as Nick Kyrgios transforms from chump to champ when in green and gold