Australian Open 2023: Novak Djokovic and Nick Kyrgios to face off in exhibition match on Rod Laver Arena
Nick Kyrgios desperately needs a coach who refuses to cop his rubbish, before he sabotages another Australian Open campaign, writes Will Swanton.
Nick Kyrgios needs someone to tell him to shut up and play. When he sabotages another rambling Australian Open voyage with more expletive-laden tantrums aimed at his forever awkward courtside box, the sure sign he’s skidding off the tracks, as happened in a Wimbledon final he should have won, he desperately requires a shrewd old head who’ll refuse to cop his rubbish.
Kyrgios’ stubborn rejection of coaching is the height of professional foolishness. Rafael Nadal goes all right and he has three coaches. Novak Djokovic? Two. Roger Federer? He had two at a time. Kyrgios? None. Tell me one other elite athlete who doesn’t have a coach.
It’s ridiculous and ultimately ruinous. It’s humorous in a Happy Gilmore sort of way — Kyrgios is such a wildly gifted and explosive athlete that he jagged a Wimbledon final and has reached the World No.22 ranking as a lone wolf. But he’s missing an opportunity for growth and improvement. It takes a man to appreciate, accept and understand the importance of man management.
Kyrgios and Djokovic will play a charity match for the Australian Tennis Foundation, which helps disadvantaged kids, at Rod Laver Arena on Friday night. Glorious. That will show Kyrgios in his most glowing, luminous light, Harlem Globetrotter mode, nothing to lose because there’s nothing to lose. Djokovic will charm the pants off all and sundry before he knuckles down with coach Goran Ivanisevic to next week’s serious business of winning a tenth Open.
No coach? Complete madness. He needs a coach to tell him to get a coach. The pros don’t hire mentors to teach them forehands and backhands and how to keep score and when to change ends. They deep-dive into the nitty gritty stuff. The clichéd one-percenters that win majors — the psychology of a mentally challenging sport, game plans, match awareness, self-awareness, injury management, fitness, support, encouragement, pumped-up instead of half-baked training sessions and most importantly of all, maximising potential. The last one is the big one. It’s the aim of every athlete worth his Nike contract. The whole mission has a singular purpose. To mile everything you can from your potential.
Maximising potential is why Nadal, Djokovic and Federer, the reluctant retiree, have always used an army of mentors, always seeking help and improvements and advice from a knowledgeable voice — even when it means hearing some uncomfortable truths or getting a kick up the backside when required. Kyrgios is 28 in a few months. He’s not getting any younger and major trophies keep being handed over to players other than him.
“I would never put that burden on someone,” Kyrgios says in a cute no-coach-for-me line that masks the real issue.
Someone must face the burden in matches. Without a coach, he lumps it on his nearest and dearest, on his family and girlfriend who should have no roles beyond being family and girlfriend. Pressure mounts in matches and he looks at his courtside box after every point (because he needs a coach) but the only people there are his parents and a physio and an agent and his brother and his partner and they have no real idea of what to do or say (because they’re not coaches).
Kyrgios gets pissed off because they’re standing when he wants them sitting, they’re sitting when he wants them standing, they’re too quiet when they need to get loud, they’re too loud when he wants clam. All that should fall on a coach. He asks too much of those who aren’t qualified to help during matches.
“I feel like no-one knows my tennis better than I do,” Kyrgios said when he reached the last four at Wimbledon. “I’ve been playing this sport since I was seven and now I’m into the semi-final of a grand slam. I’m pretty happy.”
You reckon anyone knows Nadal’s tennis better than Nadal? Knows Djokovic’s tennis better than Djokovic? Knew Federer’s tennis better than Federer? They still needed help.
Craig Tyzzer didn’t know Ash Barty’s tennis better than Barty but he was instrumental in her successes. Kyrgios used his run to the Wimbledon-semi-finals as proof that he was right to be coach-less. And yet he received a pretty soft run at The All England Club. Don’t get me wrong.
A Wimbledon final is a Wimbledon final is a Wimbledon final and to play one is a mighty achievement. But it was a weakened edition. Federer was missing and the highly-seeded trio of Daniil Medvedev, Andrew Rublev and Karen Khachanov were banned for the heinous crime of being born in Russia. Their absences blew the draw wide open and bolters were always going to gatecrash the last four.
Kyrgios’ round-three win over then World No.5 Stefanos Tsitsipas was a belter but elsewhere he only faced World No. 291 Paul Jubb, World No.31 Filip Krajinovic, World No.56 Brandon Nakshima. His quarter-final against World No. 43 Cristian Garin could just have easily been a first-round match. When Rafael Nadal couldn’t get out of bed in the morning without a fireman’s carry from his coach Carlos Moya and forfeited, Kyrgios’s dream draw had plonked him in the final.
And then he had Novak Djokovic on toast. Serving the lights out. The best returner in the game couldn’t lay a string on it. Hitting Superman forehands. Djokovic kept looking at his main coach, the former Wimbledon champion Goran Ivanisevic, whose message was clear.
Hang in there. Stay calm. Wait for Kyrgios to start shouting his own underqualified box and then you know you’ve got him.
“Key point was to know on this stage, when Nick starts to talk, he‘s going to be vulnerable. And you know, that happened. Happened in the third set when Nick was 40-0 up, 4-4. Suddenly Novak broke him and Nick was talking to his box. That’s Nick. You need to take every chance you get because you don’t have too many chances.”
The problem wasn’t that Kyrgios wanted to talk to his box. The issue was what he was getting from them. Not enough, because they didn’t know enough. Not their fault. His fault for not freeing them of the responsibility. It shouldn’t fall on them to guide him through matches. He’s minimising his potential by forever brushing off Lleyton Hewitt. All Hewitt has ever really tried to do is help Kyrgios, tell him a few uncomfortable truths, kick him up the backside when required. All the stuff Kyrgios needs but won’t allow. It’s to his detriment.
NICK V NOVAK: DJOKER’S BLOCKBUSTER RETURN CONFIRMED
Novak Djokovic’s return to Melbourne Park will be a ticketed exhibition match against local hope Nick Kyrgios.
The match will be staged on Friday night on Rod Laver Arena with ticket sales going to charity.
Tickets have been set at $20 and will go on sale at midday on Tuesday.
Tennis Australia boss Craig Tiley made the announcement on Monday morning.
“We’re going to have an arena extravaganza on Friday night at 6.30pm – Novak against Nick,” he said.
“We’re going to open up the stands with ticket sales (from Tuesday) … at a very low price point so we can get the stadium full on Rod Laver so fans can come out and it’ll go towards the Australian Tennis Foundation.
“I think that’ll be a really cool initiative.”
Djokovic is set to arrive in Melbourne on Monday for the first time since he was sensationally deported in January last year amid a Covid vaccination saga on the eve of the Australian Open.
Tiley said he had caught up with Djokovic on a number of occasions since the drama and backed Victorian tennis fans to support the Serbian star despite suggestions from some that allowing him to return flew in the face of Melbourne’s strict lockdowns and the ability of so many to follow the rules.
“We’ve spoken a lot over the last week,” Tiley said.
“He really enjoyed the experience in South Australia and he was welcomed … he loved it there.
“I love that our fans, are sporting fans and are among the most educated and appreciate greatness. They appreciate players like Novak that have won this event nine times.
“Novak is back and … I’m pretty confident that the Melbourne fans - similar to the experience he had in Adelaide - will be just as good.”
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