Is Nick Kyrgios hiding a ‘brittle’ ego?

No one has solved the puzzle that is Nick Kyrgios, but one Brit believes he’s hiding a “brittle” ego because really, he’s afraid of the truth.

Kyrgios is a puzzle no one has ben able to solve.

A British journalist has given a searing insight into Nick Kyrgios’s topsy-turvy tennis career, saying his party-boy antics are a ploy to hide his fragile ego.

In a column for The Times, former Olympic table tennis star Matthew Syed suggested the Aussie tennis star self-sabotages because his fear of failure on the court is so great, and elaborated on what he called the firebrand’s “fraudulent” life.

Kyrgios was knocked out of the year’s third grand slam in the second round when Rafael Nadal defeated him 6-3 3-6 7-6 7-6 in the most entertaining match of week one and the night before his loss, the 24-year-old was spotted at well-known Wimbledon watering hole the Dog & Fox.

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Kyrgios denied his pre-match visit to the pub hampered his performance in any way but it led to further questions about his mindset and whether he’s hungry enough for success.

Syed said Kyrgios choosing the most popular pub around the famous precinct, frequented by players, commentators and journalists, meant he wanted people to know he was living it up before his blockbuster clash against a bitter rival who he had branded “super salty”, after Nadal accused him of being disrespectful following their match in Mexico earlier this year.

Kyrgios made no secret of his partying ways in Acapulco en route to winning the Mexico Open and even revealed he was jetskiing just hours before he beat Alexander Zverev in the final.

In his column, Syed claimed Kyrgios’s bragging about his extra-curricular activities actually points to an insecure figure.

RELATED: Question that left Kyrgios speechless

The only thing holding Nick Kyrgios back is himself.

“I don’t think Kyrgios, 24, is unconventional at all, and I certainly don’t think he has a big ego. On the contrary, I think the Australian’s ego is brittle,” Syed wrote.

“Indeed, his ego is so fragile that his serial attempts to publicise his lack of professionalism are an elaborate, perhaps unconscious, ruse to protect it.

“The more people who knew about his late-night drinking, the less his ego would be on the line in the match itself. Everyone would know that he wasn’t 100 per cent. Everyone would know that the result might have been different if he’d prepared properly. And if he did win, the victory would be even more flattering. To beat Nadal without much sleep.”

Syed referred to this approach as “self-handicapping” and suggested Kyrgios does it because if people know he hasn’t prepared properly for a match, then he has an excuse for losing. If he doesn’t give himself an excuse, then the realisation he might not succeed because he’s simply not good enough becomes a truth too painful to swallow.

Syed didn’t criticise Kyrgios in his piece, but rather theorised about what he believes is really holding the Canberra product back.

“His tragedy is simple: his delicate ego will not permit him to devote himself fully to the challenge,” Syed wrote.

“And this is why he is living a rather fraudulent life, investing time in tennis while holding back; competing to win but with those ready-made excuses in case he loses.

“He is not defrauding the fans. His matches are often a joy to watch. No, he is defrauding himself. His life may look superficially adventurous, but it is the polar opposite. For when things go wrong, he can always kid himself that he never really tried.”

There’s no doubting Kyrgios’s talent.

Kyrgios has routinely given the impression he simply isn’t motivated to reach the heights in tennis many believe his talent can take him to. There’s no question about his ability, but his application in matches and lack of professionalism off the court have held him back.

Nadal said Kyrgios has the potential to be a grand slam champion but questioned whether he can ever get his attitude right to push for the biggest trophies in tennis.

After his recent loss to the 18-time major winner, Kyrgios said he doesn’t even know himself if he wants to put in the effort to reach his potential, rejecting Nadal’s assertion he can contend for a major.

Asked if he hopes one day everything clicks for him on the court, rather than saying yes straight away — as most professionals would — he admitted he didn’t have an answer.

“It’s a tough question. I don’t know,” Kyrgios said after a lengthy pause. “I kind of, like … I don’t know. I don’t really have an answer to that question at the moment. Sorry.

“I know what I’m capable of. Just depends. I’m a great tennis player, but I don’t do the other stuff. I’m not the most professional guy. I won’t train day in, day out. I won’t show up every day. So there’s a lot of things I need to improve on to get to that level that Rafa brings, Novak (Djokovic), Roger (Federer) have been doing for so long.

“Just depends how bad I want it. But no, at the moment I don’t think I can contend for a grand slam.”