Nick Kyrgios is calling out some of his colleagues from tennis broadcast as the 2022 Wimbledon finalist says he absolutely hates to hear a commentator being "too critical" of players on air.
After suffering two unfortunate injuries in 2023 and basically missing the entire season, the former world No. 13 wanted to try something new and he accepted to work be a part of Tennis Channel's coverage of last year's ATP Finals. And after that went great, the 29-year-old returned with the same role at the Australian Open.
Later in the year, Kyrgios also covered Wimbledon and the US Open, from doing match commentary to interviewing players on the court.
While the Australian never shies away from revealing his true feelings about something, one thing he tends to avoid - criticizing a fellow player too much because he knows what it takes to make it on the ATP Tour.
I'm not a very critical commentator. I don't like when commentators beat down (on players) or are too critical, because it's not easy out there, in today's day and age, the game's so physical. Tennis commentating right now needs a bit of a shake-up, I think. I guess when you've really played, and you understand the Futures and the Challengers, like how many players there are on a global scale, (you understand) how hard it is to actually make it into the top 128 players to make a Grand Slam," Kyrgios said on The AO Show.
Our job as commentators is to study these players and know their journey, and hopefully get their name out there. We can't just continually promote the same players over and over again. There are some good players out there that no-one knows. I take that into account when I'm commentating - I like to really get it out there.
Kyrgios highlights what the audience needs to hear
As a pro player but also someone who has played against the majority of ATP-level players, the former world No. 13 can offer an interesting perspective and analysis. And that's exactly why he has been receiving mostly positive reviews from his work in tennis broadcast.
Now, Kyrgios says he knew on what to focus when doing this job - delivering something that can stuck into someone's mind. When making that clear, the Australian specifically noted that the younger generations have a shorter attention span so they need to hear something quick and loud that intrigues them.
I think commentating and this (media) side of things in the tennis world is so underrated. When someone turns on the TV, they might not know - we're not talking about the fans that have followed the sport for 20 years - we're talking about new fans and bringing them to the game. They're not going to know anything about these players," Kyrgios explained.
"So the commentating needs to be up-to-date, I guess, in a way. It needs to be, like, kind of how the generation is now. They can't concentrate for more than a couple of minutes, so it needs to be loud, it needs to be energetic for a 20-second, 30-second (bit) and that might grab a new fan.
Kyrgios hints he would be open to coaching one day
After getting into tennis broadcast, the seven-time ATP champion may also try himself in coaching one day.
"Possibly. Me and Jordan Thompson used to joke that we would take the kids away on a tour, and we would be the coaches. That'd be a fun tour. I think I would do it at some stage. I do enjoy watching, obviously from a commentating standpoint," the 2022 Wimbledon runner-up said.
Following a knee surgery in 2023 January, the Australian had another surgery several months later on his wrist. And the second injury was especially challenging to the point where Kyrgios thought his playing days were over. At the time, he was struggling to do even the most basic things with his wrist, such as opening a car handle.
But a year and a half since suffering that injury, the 29-year-old is ready to play again and launch his comeback in the first week of the 2025 season at the Brisbane International.
"It was a 15% miracle chance that I was going to get back to playing at this level and here we are. To get back out there in front of the home fans is going to be sick. I am feeling fit and healthy, and I am excited for my return to tennis following some time out of the sport," Kyrgios recently said.
In Brisbane, the home favorite won the title in 2018 after beating Ryan Harrison in the final.
