Nick Kyrgios is seriously impressing the tennis world from behind the microphone

Controversial Aussie star Nick Kyrgios is earning new fans across the globe, but not for anything he’s doing on a tennis court.

Nick Kyrgios is earning new fans across the globe, but not for anything he’s doing on a tennis court.

The 28-year-old 2022 Wimbledon finalist has joined ESPN2’s Australian Open coverage and has made a serious impression on US tennis fans, who are notoriously picky with their commentators and the depth of their analysis.

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Love or hate him, Kyrgios has been a central figure on tour for years, providing the press with an endless stream of headlines over his antics on court or his cheeky behaviour on social media.

Former world No. 1 John McEnroe, no stranger to controversy himself, says he has a strong career ahead of him behind the microphone, but also encouraged the Canberran to keep playing for a couple more years before considering a fulltime switch.

But with this year’s Australian Open out of the question due to an injury, Kyrgios has put his famous mouth to work instead.

Kyrgios’ analysis on Jannik Sinner’s game in particular has shown an example of his knowledge of the game and seriously impressed tennis tragics.

Nick Kyrgios is earning new fans across the globe, but not for anything on a tennis court.

“He’s probably the cleanest ball striker that we have on tour,” Kyrgios said on ESPN’s coverage of a recent match.

“The difference between him and (Novak) Djokovic is his court position actually is a little bit closer to the baseline. He just shrinks the court.

“He has a skiing background. At that height (188cm) and at that pace, it’s so hard to get through him and win some court position off him. His willingness to come forward has improved as well.

“Darren Cahill (Sinner’s coach), a lot of credit to him for that change of serve. It’s not a platform serve anymore; he’s sliding that foot up. That was the biggest thing for me. He’s serving much, much better and creating more opportunities for that first ball.”

The Athletic’s Richard Deitsch has been won over by Kyrgios’ efforts with the microphone, heaping praise on the 28-year-old in an article this week.

“US tennis viewers are tough graders, right up there with soccer fans. They expect quality analysis, deep prep, and no mistakes in player name pronunciations. They get understandably angry when a host broadcaster dumbs down a telecast,” he wrote.

“It’s foolish to make any large pronouncements on someone with such limited broadcasting experience as Kyrgios; he has only been on ESPN for a couple of days.

“But the initial returns? Very good. He blended in easily with the McEnroes, he was a comfortable listen, and he showed the ability to be short when needed. He also mocked himself, which viewers often appreciate.”

Former world No. 1 John McEnroe, no stranger to controversy himself, says Kyrgios has a strong career ahead of him behind the microphone.

Kyrgios has also shared insights about life on the tour and isn’t afraid of getting candid while most other commentators play it safe.

The deal with ESPN is currently for the Australian Open, but there is talk of the 28-year-old exploring future opportunities in the commentary box.

Mark Gross, senior vice president for production at ESPN, was confident Kyrgios can have a successful future once his playing days officially come to a close.

“The deal came together fairly quickly because of the interest from both sides,” Mark Gross said via The Athletic.

“The plan is to have Nick on the air in prime time (at) East Coast time. We certainly believe Nick will be very good on the air and we want to make sure the largest portion of our audience will see and hear him (instead of having him on the air in the overnight hours).

“We’ll certainly be open to talking about opportunities moving forward.

“In fairness to Nick and tennis fans, we hope Nick gets on the court soon so we can cover his matches.”

As for the current tournament, Kyrgios has tipped Greek world No. 7 Stefanos Tsitsipas to win the men’s title.

McEnroe Kyrgios commentating together is something else.

— The Big Three (@Big3Tennis) January 15, 2024

"Don't poke the bear" 👀

Novak Djokovic responds to a member of the crowd looking to get under his skin 🍿 pic.twitter.com/1S9wQxwemg

— Eurosport (@eurosport) January 17, 2024

I miss seeing Kyrgios on the court but I love hearing him call matches with McEnroe @[e-mail]/bUaWznn81B

— Michael Schmutz (@MSDomer) January 15, 2024

But it hasn’t all been completely smooth sailing behind the microphone.

Kyrgios was roasted over a hilarious slip-up while calling the ATP Finals in November 2023.

“When you look at people who have had sex … success against Medvedev,” Kyrgios said.

“You know Alcaraz every time he plays against him he’s moving forward taking all those volleys, taking time away … it’s crucial.”

His fellow commentators weren’t going to let the gaffe go though as they quickly pointed out the error.

“Welcome to your first viral Tennis Channel moment, Nick. That was good,” fellow commentator Brett Haber said.