'Stupid Comment By Another Old Head': Kyrgios Slams Cash's Claims About Aussie Crowd
ATP
Australian tennis star Nick Kyrgios has called out one-time Grand Slam champion Pat Cash for comments targeting the Australian crowd.
Cash, also an Australian who has worked as a television co-commentator since he retired from the sport, recently asserted that the home crowds at Melbourne Park have become "out of control" and tried to offer an opinion on their conduct.
The 58-year-old said, "I think the Australian crowds in the last 10 years have got a little out of control. Cheer on your countrymen, no problems, but they're not representing your country, they're individual and I think we need to understand that."
Although Cash was merely trying to point out a flaw in the crowd's behavior, Kyrgios was left infuriated, judging by his response to his countryman. Speaking to the Daily Mail Australia, he branded Cash an "old head" and termed his claims "stupid."
"(It was an) Absolutely stupid comment by another old head that has no idea how marketing or how things work in today's day and age. You need entertainment. This generation doesn't have a long attention span."
"That's why you see clips on Instagram rolling. They're 15-20 seconds long. Someone like Pat Cash wouldn't be able to grasp that concept. And I'm not taking anything away from Pat Cash. Incredible player of his generation, but we need to continue to make the sport grow for fans everywhere."
Kyrgios has always used his platform to gloat about how his antics and unique perspective on distinct topics have helped revolutionize the sport and connect to the newer generation of tennis fans.
The 28-year-old believes it is high time that tennis embraced the current set of fans owing to the dynamic world and that people like Pat Cash should be observant of these changes without rose-colored glasses.
"We need the crowds to feel part of the sport. We need entertainment. We need people having beers and the players loving it. We need human interaction. We're human, not robots. We need it to be like that."
"With everything I do on and off the court, entertainment value, putting eyes on this. It just makes everyone else more money in the sport. That's all it does. And if Pat Cash can't see that - stubborn, old, stuck in his ways."
