Eugenie Bouchard has leaped into the defense of Nick Kyrgios in light of his current stint as a match commentator for Tennis Channel.
Because of Kyrgios' bad-boy persona on he court, he has grown to become a divisive figure in the tennis world. So, while Kyrgios' work as a pundit at the ATP Finals has been positively received, it was clear he was not going to please all the masses.
Several fans were clearly not happy that the Australian maverick was getting all the attention even while he was injured. One annoyed fan wrote on Instagram, "When are you people going to stop giving this guy a platform?"
Bouchard, who appears to have taken his leave from Canada's celebrations after clinching a historic first Billie Jean King Cup title, fired back to the detractor. The 29-year-old responded, "Stop being a hater!"
It is pertinent to note that Bouchard has previously worked on the Tennis Channel studios during her injury break in the past.
Kyrgios seems to be enjoying his time in the booth, and he has been giving the viewers in the United States great insights to the matches pitting the world's Top 8 players. Having shared the stage against almost all the players in Turin, there was no better player to provide firsthand information.
"I feel like I'm a student of the game. I can give insights. You know I've been on court with most of these guys, I've shared locker room moments. I can give bit of a different look."
Kyrgios is currently working on his fitness as he targets a return to the tour in a playing role next season. But for that to happen, he stated that he needed the stars to "align" but maintained that he's still "hungry" to compete again.
The 28-year-old has not set a return date and is a doubt to play at next year's Australian Open in his home country. The Canberra native was restricted to just one appearance in 2023.