2022 Wimbledon runner-up Nick Kyrgios has argued that some of his behavior over the years was heavily scrutinized because of the long-standing culture of tennis.
Kyrgios regularly created headlines for his antics during matches, although tennis fans have barely seen them in the last two years since the 29-year-old's only appearance during that time was a failed attempt to be ready for Wimbledon at the 2023 Stuttgart Open.
There are several examples of Kyrgios creating controversy, but one of the most notable was against Stan Wawrinka at the 2015 Canadian Open when he made a sledge about the three-time Grand Slam champion's relationship at the time.
Wawrinka was in a relationship with WTA star Donna Vekic in 2015. Kyrgios suddenly mentioned that Thanasi Kokkinakis allegedly had relations with Vekic, the exact quote being, "Kokkinakis ba***d your girlfriend. Sorry to tell you that, mate."
The Australian apologized at the time and received a fine. However, in a recent episode of the Louis Theroux podcast, he said he now considers the incident old-fashioned trash talk and only reacted because of Wawrinka trying to hit him in the head.
Kyrgios also made headlines during the same podcast appearance by offering his unique insights on matters outside of tennis. The former Wimbledon runner-up thinks the Egyptian pyramids were not built by humans and is open to the idea that the earth is flat.
While there is absolutely no evidence to back up those assertions, what can be proven is that Kyrgios plans to return to tennis at the 2025 Australian Open. His goal is to win a singles Grand Slam before he retires.
Kyrgios' long absence from tennis means it is uncertain if he will be as fiery as in the past. Whether fans liked or loathed him, the seven-time ATP title winner possessed a different personality.
Although he admits to being somewhat hot-headed, Kyrgios, in further comments on the Louis Theroux podcast, thinks the culture of tennis means his actions were singled out more than they would have been in other sports.
"That's been a story in my life. Really I mean coming into tennis, this is the answer to the couple of questions that you gave me with the reputations like John McEnroe coming up and then obviously Kyrgios. I guess we are a bit hot-headed in a way but I don't think we are really because you know tennis is such a old, gentlemen sport."
"I think, anyone that kind of shows any personality is kind of outside the box and outside the cookie cutter of the normal tennis player. So I feel like behaviour that you see from us would be completely normal in say rugby or soccer or you can kind of get away with those things in my opinion."
" I mean look, you can't judge an athlete for what they do on the court, because you have to be two different people in my opinion."
There have been many debates about whether Kyrgios was showing his personality or if his actions were unacceptable and a bad example to younger players. Those conversations could start again when he returns next year.