In Defense Of Nick Kyrgios

by Sean Randall | August 14th, 2015, 1:33 pm
  • 116 Comments

Yeah, yeah. I know Nick Kyrgios is a terrible guy. He’s the most hated player in the sport right now. He’s toxic. He’s a horse’s ass. He’s all those things, and you’d be right to say all those things and more.

What he did the other night during his match against Stan Wawrinka, telling the crowd and TV audience that Thanasi Kokkinakis was banging Stan’s alleged girlfriend, Donna Vekic, was unacceptable and reprehensible. And he deserves the widespread backlash and outrage that he’s been getting.

But, honestly, I think this whole thing is overblown. Here’s why:


1) Why did Kyrgios say those words?
We all saw the video, heard him say it and he admitted to it. But why did he do it? What was the motivation? Hardly anyone is asking, but I will.

On the point or two before the no infamous incident, Stan and Nick did have a go at each other and I believe there was another occasion earlier in the match. I think it’s safe to say there was bad blood between the two before they even stepped on the court Wednesday night in Montreal.

In June, Wawrinka crushed Kyrgios at Queen’s in just 49 minutes. Kyrgios said he was sick, but Stan clearly didn’t buy that excuse.

So could Stan have really started this back at Queen’s? I don’t know, but as they say, there’s always another side to every coin.

2) This isn’t Stan’s first beef
We know last fall at the ATP finals something happened between Roger Federer, Mirka Federer and Stan.

Really, Stan getting into it with of all people Federer? I know it appears to be all well and good now, but if Stan would go at it with guy like Roger, hell, he’ll go after anyone and for certain take aim at a brash outspoken youngster like Kyrgios. And I like that about Stan, he’s not afraid and that’s why he’s won two Slams.

So maybe Stan poked the bear that is Kyrgios with those Queen’s comments, and who knows what else, and the bear bit back.

3) What’s up with Stan’s girlfriend
Stan is 30. Donna Vekic is 19. Fact.

Are they dating? They sure seem to be because Stan hasn’t denied it from anything I’ve read – and wouldn’t you set that record straight?

So they are an item and have been an item apparently for quite a while, more than likely even when Donna was just 17 and Stan was still married to his wife Ilham Vuilloud (the two were married in 2009).

That’s right, Stan hasn’t been the most faithful husband. In fact, far from it.

After his wife gave birth to a daughter in 2010, Stan allegedly had an affair with a South American ATP PR member which I guess led to his first separation from his wife Ilham (surprise).

The two reconciled but then Stan got with the teen Vekic and if I had to guess his wife had just about enough at that point and the two split again in April. Maybe Mirka had had enough, too (hence the beef during the ATP Finals).

While Stan seemed to make it sound like a peaceful split, his wife, Ilham, did not and took the blow torch out.

“No, trips and tournaments are not the cause of our separation,” Ilham responded. “Besides, other players, ranked higher than him, handle family life very well. His instability, desire to regain his freedom—at all levels—are the source. And I have to admit the repeated fibs and emotional betrayals eventually destroyed entirely the confidence I had in him.”

Granted, Stan got married young, had a baby at just 24 or so, and perhaps realized, “Oh crap, I made a mistake. Why am I with this older woman – now in her late 30s – when I could be with this hot teen?”

I’m just speculating on their divorce, but connect the dots. Superstar athlete with an older woman, hot teen dream comes along and…yeah, we’ve heard that story before.

So if you are going to cheat on your wife AND go underage, you’d better get ready for some blowback.

And next time, Stan, if you don’t want your opponent talking about your love life and your habit of banging teens, there’s an easy way out: STOP DATING TEENS! HELL, YOU ARE 30 YEARS OLD!

4) Like Trump said last week, enough with this political correctness thing
OK, what Nick said was a bit extreme and like I said, I agree it was unacceptable. But it’s not the first time that’s been said on the playing field and guess what, it won’t be the last.

This kind of trash talk happens all the time across all sports. Usually, though, it’s confined to the locker room (see what happened to NY Jets QB Geno Smith the other day, he got a broken jaw from a teammate) but occasionally it leaks out. And unfortunately, the young Kyrgios didn’t get that memo, doesn’t understand the “locker room code”. Maybe he’ll learn, maybe he won’t. I don’t know.

But I have to ask is what Nick said worse than what his Davis Cup coach Lleyton Hewitt said to James Blake at the US Open in 2001>

Is it worse than Serena Williams threatening a lineswoman?

Is it worse than Roger Federer telling Novak Djokovic’s parents to “be queit”?

Is it worse than Maria Sharapova talking about Serena dating a married man with kids?

Is it worse than Andy Murray telling Lukas Rosol that no one likes him?

Is it worse than Novak Djokovic yelling at a ballboy?

Or what John McEnroe, Ilie Nastase and the other bad boys of tennis before him did?

5) Kyrgios is just 20
He’s still a youngster. And while he needs to be reprimanded, any real punishment for breaking the “guy code” will be dished out in the locker room where I’m guessing he won’t have too many non-Australian supporters left.

So that’s my case for taking it a little easier on Nick.

I admit, I like Nick’s game, he’s a lot of fun and I hope fulfills his true potential, and that is winning Slams. And with this controversy, he becomes even that much bigger of a celebrity – just look at all the news outlets covering this story!

But like I said, he’s an absolute knucklehead and he deserves the venom he’s gotten not only for this incident but also for his behavior in general to this point in his career. The ATP does have a problem with Kyrgios with his tanking and antics, so I think the chair umpires really need to do a better job of keeping this kid (and others) in check. Maybe they will.

And I’m OK with fine – which I think also takes into account his previous indiscretions – however, I think a suspension here is a bit much, unless there’s more to this story.

As for Mr. Wawrinka, let’s be honest, he’s no Mother Theresa either. And maybe he’s the one who’s at the root of this fued. Stan’s had his issues lately with a messy divorce, an alleged romance with a teen player, the beef with the Federers and now this. I really don’t know.

But what I do know is this story has gotten way too much attention and this Kyrgios hate is a little over the top at this point. He’s just an immature kid who said an incredibly dumb thing. As if that’s never happened before…

Back to tennis.


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116 Comments for In Defense Of Nick Kyrgios

Giles Says:

He may be immature to the extreme but he certainly is no kid! He’s a dumbass! He needs to be severely punished and hopefully the ATP will take strong action against this low life.


Ben Pronin Says:

Can’t stand by number 3 at all. If Wawrinka got with Vekic when she was 17, well, if it wasn’t in the US I don’t think it’s a big deal. I think there are plenty of countries where 17 isn’t considered underage. And sure some people don’t agree with that age gap, but it’s none of our business. Let them do whatever they want.

But yeah, Stan isn’t a saint. And he’s a big baby. He’s starting beef then whining about integrity and whatnot after he gets hit back. Wa-wa-rinka is more like it. And yeah, other players, especially the guys in the 70s and 80s, were doing and saying so much worse than what Kyrgios said. He’s a shmuck towards the umpires and that’s something that should be addressed. Federer defended Nick during Wimbledon. Djokovic and Murray defended him yesterday. I wonder why? Maybe because he’s not all that bad. Maybe it’s because Stan’s a big baby.


PJ Says:

I feel like the problem that I have with this article is that, even if everything here is true, it doesn’t justify what Kyrgios did.

1. Even if Stan’s an ass, it doesn’t make what Nick said OK. If he has beef with Stan, keep it with Stan. Don’t drag Thanasi and Donna into it.

2. So what? Stan’s had issues with other players. Many players have. Most of those others haven’t resorted to such a classless display.

3. If Stan wants to date someone who is 19, I don’t see that being a problem. Yes, if there were inappropriate things going on while Donna was underage, that’s one thing. Otherwise, both are consenting adults. I’m certainly not going to condone someone cheating, but even if that were the case, I don’t think it’s appropriate to bring up someone’s personal business in the middle of a match, especially when it has absolutely nothing to do with you. It also seems messed up trying to defend someone’s bad actions by claiming that the target also has done something wrong.

4. More than people complaining about political correctness, I have an issue with people blaming PC for inappropriate behavior. People are upset at the comments Trump make on twitter, not because they are “too PC,” but because they are just nasty sentiments that don’t need to be shared. It shouldn’t matter if Kyrgios’ actions were better or worse than the other concerns mentioned. Something being more or less wrong is still wrong.

5. This is another BS excuse. Being young doesn’t mean that you can act however you want, and then blame it on your age. If nothing else, I would hope that a younger player would be more aware of what he/she is doing, as they are just becoming established.

I don’t hate the guy. However, I can’t endorse anything that justifies his behaviors. What Stan has done in his personal life doesn’t involve Kyrgios. If Stan is the root of the feud, deal with it on the court in a professional manner. Don’t bring in people who are not able to defend themselves, especially when it is damaging to their respective characters as well.


Patson Says:

@PJ

Great post!


Diane Says:

Federer was totally in line to tell Djokovic’s classless parents to be quiet. I applauded him. Too bad the umpire didn’t do it.

What IS worse is Tsonga saying women are inerior athletes, Ferrer saying a female umpire knows nothing and females are stupid, and everything that has ever come out of Stakhovsy’s mouth about women and the LGBTQ population.

Nick K. seems bent on getting attention, no matter how, but it’s interesting that almost all insults of women are ignored (or thought “funny”) but this incident has everyone in a near-faint. Interesting, that is, in a disgusting way.


Diane Says:

“inferior”


jane Says:

ben, murray explicitly said “i like nick” and novak said he’s had “nice chats” with him, so yeah i don’t think he’s absolutely hated on the tour or anything. pretty much everyone has said he was wrong, his comment was “unnecessary” and they hope he’ll learn from it and move on. rafa said the same thing:

“I hope he’s able to recognise his mistake and I hope he’s able to change his attitude,” Nadal said.
“He’s a fantastic tennis player, and possibly he can be No. 1 in the future.”
The 29-year-old ended by showing a glimmer of faith in the Aussie: “As I say before, he has time to improve that attitude. I’m sure he’s smart and he will do it.”

here’s fed defending the gasquet game:

http://www.businessinsider.com/roger-federer-defends-nick-kyrgios-over-tanking-2015-7

clearly this man is hot-headed and needs to learn to control his temper, above all. and perhaps he hasn’t always had the best role models either, which doesn’t help matters.


Giles Says:

Oh for goodness sake stop quoting federer, the man practises with the scumbag!


Patson Says:

@Diane

The things you quoted are not surprising because sexism is almost a fact of life. So much so that we have a Republican candidate leading the polls in the Republican primaries despite making such comments. My point being that the problem of sexism is so prevalent that it’s almost a non-story to many people. Sad but true.


RZ Says:

This doesn’t seem so much of a defense of Nick Kyrgios as much as a vilification of Stan Wawrinka. I don’t think anyone is saying that Stan is a saint, but he still didn’t deserve Nick’s comment during a match.

As for point #4, Nick’s comments were much, much worse than some of those things mentioned.


jane Says:

here’s what murray said in july, at wimbledon, re: nick

“I don’t think people appreciate how difficult it is to grow up under the spotlight, how difficult it is to have loads of people expecting you to be perfect from a young age,” he said. “I like Nick. I’ve spoken to him away from the court. He’s quite different to how he is on it.

and here’s what he said this time

“people need to give him a little bit of a break”.
“In other sports that sort of thing gets said more often than we imagine and in team sports especially,” said Murray. “In tennis there are certain things you shouldn’t do and that was one of them.
“Hopefully he learns from it. Nick is not all bad, he is a young guy growing up in the spotlight. There has been a lot of negativity towards him over the last few months and that isn’t easy to deal with.”


Ben Pronin Says:

PJ, well said. I just don’t think Kyrgios’ statements warrant a suspension or anything beyond the fine he was issued. I don’t think anyone’s saying Nick should continue sledging opponents. But the defense of his actions are a reaction to the overreaction. Djokovic, Nadal, and Murray made calm and level-headed assessments all basically saying the same thing: he’s not a bad guy, he said something stupid, hopefully he’ll learn and move on because he’s a great player.

On these forums, you have people claiming he’s the worst thing to ever happen to tennis as if though racism or sexism or umpire/line-judge threatening actions never occurred.

I’m also kind of curious as to what people consider young around. 20 years old is by no means an old soul. Just because he’s not technically a teenager doesn’t mean that the moment he turned 20 he became a mature and level-headed adult who was no longer the same person he was about 15 minutes prior when he was 19. In the US, most kids are in their sophomore or junior years in college. For those of you who haven’t personally experienced that or haven’t witnessed it first hand, 20 year old kids in the US are complete morons. Sure they can have academics or excel athletically, but socially they’re pretty much insane. You wouldn’t do or say or even think the things you do at 20 that you would even at 22 or 23 (after you graduate). It’s like a completely different world. Maybe Nick shouldn’t be excused but expectations appear to be quite high. Federer was a hot head in his youth. So was Djokovic and Murray’s still nutty. I don’t know why anyone would expect a 20 year old with maybe 2 years of pro tour experience to match the professionalism of 7+ year veterans. “Be classy like the top guys” because they were clearly born that way, right?


Ron Smith Says:

What Serena did at the U.S. Open was much worse…Kyrgios was stupid for sure. But look at every other sport…no wonder tennis gets a bad rap for being a girly sport. In American football and soccer much worse things are said on the field. it’s just not always on a microphone. In American tennis, I’ve seen things that are way worse than this at the USTA National level. Also, what Sharapova said about Serena was just as bad but the media let it go….go figure. Trust me this kid Kyrgios is going to have a tough time in the locker room and mentally it should affect his tennis and that is punishment enough in my opinion.


chris ford1 Says:

Diane trolling….
Tsonga saying that men give higher athletic performances is worse than slurring Vekic in public? Really?
And what gives with Diane’s imagined obligation that all Tour athletes must not have deviant, counter-progressive beliefs? Otherwise their views OFFEND the WHOLE female population (acc. to feminist activists who do not in fact speak for ALL WOMEN!) And now some imagined obligation on top of feminist illogic – that all young athletes from around the world must cheer the ” LGBTQ population”??

Patson adds to the insipid PC. Not on tennis, but in bringing American politics to some tennis forum to complain a pol is sexist!! Sexism is unavoidable if you believe that there are physical differences between men and women that give each gender some advantage. It is a bell curve. And the bell curves have some area of overlapping.

Not ALL men live shorter lives than EVERY WOMAN – but generally it’s true and killing men off earlier is not a Sexist Conspiracy.
It is unavoidable in most sports that they have to be played by gender, or women would not have success in athletics – Only one mixed gender basketball team at each school (even adding Diane’s tranny population) would mean guys would have all the spots, except in extremely unusual circumstances unless the team was required not to have honest tryouts but “gender normalized” criteria for selection to a team.


Thangs Says:

I was expecting a defense from Sean for 2 reasons

1. Controversy thread to get more hits (just like starting a debate on Nadal-Fed)

2. Soft corner for Nick from the day he beat him on Wimby.


Patson Says:

@CF

Sean mentioned Trump to argue against PC, so no, I did not bring in Trump. And I also mentioned Trump to make a point that if somebody wants to take Trump seriously (i.e., base their argument on what Trump has), there are some pretty disturbing things he’s said (i.e., all Mexicans are rapists etc.).

Your post is more like an obnoxious rant rather than a rebuttal.


elina Says:

Article completely misses the point.

It is much worse than all of the other incidents above (Serena was fined over $80,000 in case you have forgotten BTW).

This is about public sl*t shaming.

Similar incident in the NHL when Sean Avery basically did the same thing and was suspended six games in a sport where normal trash talking is much worse than the accepted norm (such as the writer’s examples other than Serena’s case above).

No excuses for that behaviour. Unacceptable. Fine him $50-100K and let him sit out the US Open.


elina Says:

Thangs nailed it.


jane Says:

sexism is not cool. for sure.
but neither is calling people -who you don’t know- “classless”.

people don’t seem to understand the basic difference between criticizing an action / comment and criticizing a human being.

for example, every parent knows that you don’t call your son a “bad boy” but instead you tell him that *what he did or said* was “bad.”

it’s interesting that the players who actually *know* nick kyrgios on the tour – for example murray or fed – say that like him but criticize or comment on his actions nevertheless.

they seem to be able to understand the basic difference between person and behaviour, whereas many others who don’t know him don’t. they also seem to understand that people can learn, grown and change with the right support.


skeezer Says:

Sean,
Well written piece.


Wog Boy Says:

Thanks Sean, nice article.

“Diane trolling….”
Very much so CF1.


Jock-KatH Says:

I can’t believe we are still on the subject of Nick – can’t believe I’m drawn into contributing – ah well!!

Sean is wrong – his “piece” is more provocative than well written/or realistic (Skeezer) – there are countries where you are an adult at 16 e.g.in Scotland you can marry without parental approval and you can vote etc.

The best comments overall here are PJ and Patson and Jane’s is well balanced.


tennisfansince76 Says:

The Atp must initiate an investigation immediatelyfiled under “the Kyrgios affair”. The investigation I’d for the purpose of ascertaining exactly who banged whom and when.


montecarlo Says:

But I have to ask is what Nick said worse than what his Davis Cup coach Lleyton Hewitt said to James Blake at the US Open in 2001> YES IT IS

Is it worse than Serena Williams threatening a lineswoman? NO IT ISN’T

Is it worse than Roger Federer telling Novak Djokovic’s parents to “be queit”? YES IT IS

Is it worse than Maria Sharapova talking about Serena dating a married man with kids? YES IT IS

Is it worse than Andy Murray telling Lukas Rosol that no one likes him? YES IT IS

Is it worse than Novak Djokovic yelling at a ballboy? YES IT IS

Or what John McEnroe, Ilie Nastase and the other bad boys of tennis before him did? YES IT IS

So in short it’s the worst thing ever done by a Tennis Player on a tennis court apart from that Serena Williams incident. And the one you missed- Jeff Tarango incident.


montecarlo Says:

And I hope there is atleast one year ban coming up for him.


courbon Says:

Wog Boy, stop eating Cevape-they are bad for your health! (:-
How is in Belgrade?


Ben Pronin Says:

Were you people never young? Or do you not at least have kids? What 1 year ban???


Ron Smith Says:

A one year ban is ridiculous….


Wog Boy Says:

courbon,

I can’t have enough of it and “banging” (in my dreams;)

If your father is stil around can I buy him a drink on your behalf, my flat is one blok away from yours, I was last night in “Katun” kafana in Hasanaginica st, delicious food and white wine on this heatwave in Belgrade.
http://www.kafanakatun.com


chris ford1 Says:

Patson, what you call, sexism as a problem that is so prevalent that people don’t get “activist” about it – is more a fact of life than a fact about most people having misguided attitudes.
Men and women are different.
Much of society, sports, medicine, the economy, and politics is shaped by those differences.
Is stating truthful things like the WTA as inferior in tennis performance to the level at the ATP – obnoxious?
Is stating that politics is in part driven by the female vote wanting to “Heart!” a telegenic male pol with a full head of hair but a terrible leader with no credentials -a sexist problem? Or a female voting problem??
It is now becoming a classic characteristic of some people in political movements (mainly on the left and into identity politics) that any disagreement with them is racist, sexist, obnoxious – as a means of suppressing opposing beliefs and thoughts.


courbon Says:

Wog Boy-I will rite that name for the next time I go ( which is next year ). I’m glad you are having a good time.
My father is around ad it is very kind of you but I’m sure you have other things to do than have a drink with him ( unless you are fan of ‘Karavan’ and ‘Porodica Jovanovici’ which my father was ‘urednik’-he can talk and talk about ld gard humorist and actors ( Ckalja, Mija, Mini Max ) all night…). But I’m bit confused-I thought you live in Zemun and I’m in Kanarevo Brdo-Borska ulica ( kod C-Marketa )?


RZ Says:

@Ben Pronin – nice use of “sledging!” :-) I think we’ll see a lot more of that word in tennis reports after this incident.


courbon Says:

Wog Boy-I just had a look at that kafana and that is very near me!Definetely will pop in there


Wog Boy Says:

Courbon,
I am from Zemun but moved to “Lisicji potok” before I left for Australia, my flat is oposite “Katun”, I just walk across the street and here we go, good food, ambijent, wine and after I crawl back home;)


jane Says:

“Is stating that politics is in part driven by the female vote wanting to “Heart!” a telegenic male pol with a full head of hair but a terrible leader with no credentials -a sexist problem? Or a female voting problem??”

the real problem is that we need more female candidates and leaders.


sienna Says:

He certainly is not dumb. while he probably is not educated he is intelligent.
but he also is young immature not well behaved etc
He thinks everybody is against so he rather starts the fight then being lured into… he thinks.
he does need to mature and in tennis he needs to do it fast if he isnt to late at all.


courbon Says:

Wog Boy-so we are ‘komsije’!
Have a great time mate!


Wog Boy Says:

I will mate-komsija, thanks.


Sean Randall Says:

montecarlo, what makes what Kyrgios said worse? I’m Kyrgios!


Gypsy Gal Says:

Hi Courbon just wondering whats your opinion on this or dont you care either way just curious?….


Gypsy Gal Says:

I do feel for Donna in all this it makes her sound cheap,i bet shes weeping somewhere….


jane Says:

interesting, if controversial, take that ends thus:

” If Kyrgios is going to be good for tennis, he’s going to have to be more than a sideshow; he’s going to have become the main event.”

http://ftw.usatoday.com/2015/08/nick-kyrgios-good-for-tennis-girlfriend-stan-wawrinka-vecic-controversy-tantrums


Humble Rafa Says:

I can’t play in a sport when these guys are around. It’s disgusting – the behavior and the defense.

I am just going to glow in my goatness.


Wog Boy Says:

GG,
I’ll tell you what Courbon thinks..”I wish my name is Kokkinakis”, but Courbon will never admit that..


Matt Says:

Defense of Kyrgios is to go after Wawrinka? What does his marriage have to do with Kyrgios? The only thing Wawrinka’s girl friend has to do with this is that Kyrgios bad mouthed her too. This is a bizarre article.

In the end, the kid has a ton of talent but he acts like a POS on the court. Rushes his serve, trash talks. STFUP and play tennis ya wanka.


Gypsy Gal Says:

Wogboy lol ;)….


Andy Says:

I agree that it wasn’t the best thing for Kyrgios to say, but honestly I don’t even agree with such a big fine. Why? Because he wasn’t talking to wawrinka or even looking at him. He was just muttering something to himself. He was understandably upset that he had lost the first set and was just muttering something in his frustration, or maybe to pump himself up. Anyone who’s played competitive sports can relate to the fact that sometimes, talking smack about (maybe even using the second person but not actually talking to) the opponent can lift you up, pump you up, etc, especially in a sport like tennis where it’s just you against one other guy.

In fact, Wawrinka didn’t even know what he said until after the match, so there was no way it got under his skin or otherwise affected the match.

Sure, it wasn’t the smartest thing for Kyrgios to say, but I don’t think it’s the worst thing he (or anyone else) has done, and definitely doesn’t deserve such a big fine/backlash.


Emily Says:

@Matt, totally agree, I expected that some would turn these comments around onto Stan and his personal life, which is nobody’s business. Let’s make him the bad guy b/c then he deserved it, right?

Also, this whole 1) point about poking the bear doesn’t quite work after looking at both their comments after the Queens match. Kyrgios was saying he wanted to play Stan b/c he had just won in Paris, trying to set up some marquee battle. He then tanks the match and Stan says that it seemed like he didn’t really want to be playing the match, which was strange considering Nick’s previous comments. Nick then said he did tank the match and didn’t want to play tennis for 2 weeks. Lindsey Davenport suggested that these comments were pre-meditated, w/ Nick palnning to say them whether Stan did anything during the match or not.

In terms of political correctness, I said yesterday that this was sl*t shaming, which goes beyond being PC. That implies that people shouldn’t be so sensitive about an athlete making misogynistic comments. Did he achieve his goal of getting back at Stan by his disgusting remark about an innocent person? Maybe in the short term, but this incident is going to hurt Nick for a while, whether he gets suspended or not (and based on the way Gimelstob was talking about the players council, it sounds like he definitely could be).


Tennisfan Says:

There is nothing defensible about what he did. It was really classless and yes it was worse than Federer telling Novak’s parents to be quiet or Novak yelling at a ballboy because that’s purely sports-related (and not personal attacks) even though its bad behaviour. I agree that its about as bad as what Murray, Serena and Maria have done though.


Jack Lewis Says:

Novak didn’t yell at a ball boy, he was just mad/frustrated and yelled and there happened to be a ball boy there. It was obviously not directed at the ball boy…
I can’t believe this is the sort of stuff that this author thinks is remotely comparable… then again maybe it’s just click bait.
It’s clear that someone has no future in being a defense lawyer…


Sidney Says:

I’m done with TX. DISGUSTING! SEE YAH!


RogNadFan Says:

This article is definitely not in defense of Kyrgios,but it’s certainly a personal grudge (? pardon my vocabulary, may be I should say “dislike”) on Wawrinka.
Whatever he did on his professional life, has he ever said or done anything on the tennis court that is even remotely close to what that douchebag did?
He may have been an infidel SOB himself; but so what’s your problem with that? Are you saying he should be disciplined by ATP for that?
When I see him play, he walks into the court, does his things, does rarely get into any arguments that are over the line (I have never heard him say anything (clearly bad thing) to his opponent, or anyone for that matter, on the court (BTW, Djoker should have been fined and disciplined >2 times already this year, for scaring/trying to hit the ball boy/girl. The point is, everyone has had moments like that, but probably Stan hasn’t had any of them yet from his part, enlighten me on that, will ya?). He is definitely a good example of a professional-player to anyone who watches and plays tennis.
Let me put it this way, You and I watch these tennis players play. And many like us pay money to watch them. So, when these people are courtside, they just want to watch the shots. They don’t, unlike you (it seems from this article, sadly), get stuck in his personal life and problems and forget how he plays. It’s because he has never brought his personal problems on the court and used it to sledge his opponent (in such a vomitous manner anyway). Or Has he?, I am pretty sure he hasn’t. Then how can you even bring those up to defend something that happened on the court. If it was just for hits and comments in this post, then you have definitely succeeded. But then, something tells me that you are a very good tennis blogger and insightful tennis-analyzer. So, many people like me, who come here regularly to look at the good stuff, definitely think that this is your honest post and stance on this particular issue.
So, I am not really sure what to make out of this , (less than D-grade, to be honest) post; not on the writing but on the content and the message it conveys.
Amen!
Once again, pardon the deficiency in english, it’s coming from a ‘not a native english” speaker.

Cheers!.


RogNadFan Says:

@Sidney,
That was my first response too. But on a second thought, I thought it was just a scar on Sean’s blogging. You know what I mean.
I seriously hope it is, other wise, it might not be worth it to come here so regularly, right?


billy boy Says:

this “article” is just click-bait. i will no longer be a sucker. good bye


wilfried Says:

Good comment from Andy.
Nick was only talking to himself.
And even if he wasn’t, he’s got, as far as I’m concerned, the freedom to have his opinion and express it, even in the context of a tennis match.
But the unadulterated truth is, there is no freedom of speech nor freedom of choice, no freedom at all, nowhere and never, like there ain’t no ameran dream either(you gotta be sleeping to believe it, George Carlin would say).
ATP has got the same problem as some religions do and many civil states do: way too many rules, but only doube standards and hypochrisy when it comes to the application of those rules.


Margot Says:

Sean’s just courting controversy for a change….not ;)
Nick was wrong yes, to mouth off about other people for sure, but honestly folk a lot worse happens in other sports. And Stan and Magnus rushing onto twitter, being all hurt virgins, well come on.
And, I think as Ben pointed out elsewhere, two players recived a life ban for match rigging, the drug issues bubble etc, aren’t these a lot more damaging to the beautiful game?


Margot Says:

Lol not even keen on Nick TBH but I don’t like public hangings, or private ones!


Jock-KatH Says:

Anyone for tennis?

Who will win Montreal?
Will Fed. retain Cinc?
Will Nole win US slam?


Wog Boy Says:

“Lol not even keen on Nick TBH but I don’t like public hangings, or private ones!”

Thanks for articulating my thoughts, we had avalanche of purists behaving like Nick shot the man dead on the court instead of doing nothing more but sledging, not rarely those purists are privately oposite of what they are preaching publicly, and Nick is not even one of my favorites.

Wilfred, you’ve done it again, nice and accurate.


Wog Boy Says:

^^ Sorry, it is Wilfried:(


Wog Boy Says:

Actually, I meant “puritans” but “purists” will do.


Gypsy Gal Says:

This article is in very poor taste,i indeed had to look twice to see who had wrote it,surprised to see it was Sean Randall,it sounded more like something Jeremy Davis would write,Sidneys right disgusting and only written for clicks….


Markus Says:

Gypsy Gal, it is no longer unuaual nowadays. People will do anything for some notoriety. There is a term for that and you know what that is. Who cares about integrity, good character and moral sense anymore? For sure, I will be told to get off my high horse but I’d rather stay there that stay to wallow in mud and filth. At least the air up here is clean and fresh.


Gypsy Gal Says:

Thanks Markus,to be honest ive really had enough of this forum just lately,bloggings a chore rather than a pleasure,but if i dont post im bailing,and ive never been one to quit….


mat4 Says:

GG:

I hope you won’t be offended, but I guess that you are a bit too severe here.

Why is there so many microphones near the court? Are we, as a society, enjoying more in gossips or do we watch tennis for the game itself? Sean is right here: 2K muttered the sentence mostly to himself. He was far from Stan, who didn’t hear him. In this generation of players, many have uttered worse things and got a pass.

I don’t say that I approve. I think that 2K should have been fined much more for intimidating umpires, lines judges, but there and then, he was protected. Nobody stood in defence of the “little man”, the anonymous judge who only does his job. But when he dares say something about a star of the Tour… the sky falls down.

Then, the question of double standards arises once more: when Stan physically attacks 2K in the locker room, no reaction. Also no reaction when Stan aims at 2K, and we all know that, at this level, it is deliberate. Why, otherwise, did Berdych refuse to shake hand with Almagro, why was Novak furious at Rafa a few years ago? They knew it was done on purpose. Lendl did it on purpose all the time.

The big stars are always protected, just like the rich in our societies. We make examples of small potatoes, anonymous journeymen, young players.

And there is that question of positive discrimination, concretely, here, of “sexism”. Any positive discrimination means another, negative discrimination. By promoting minorities, we discriminate majorities. The “equal prize”, e.g., in tennis has absolutely no sense, and it isn’t consequent: while among men and among ladies, the winner — the one that worked more — takes all the money, while the biggest stars, the most handsome, take the most money from sponsors, we want equal pay JUST for men and women. Why not equal money for both players that fought hard in an match? Didn’t Isner deserved to earn just a few dollars less than Chardy for their match? Didn’t Gulbis deserved to earn money for his loss against Novak? Why should Federer earn 70 M in endorsements and Karlovic 70000? Why not equal pay for equal job here too? Why should Ana earn more that Vika, or Maria more than Serena, who is a better player? Why here too, no equal pay?

But we continue with double, triple, quadruple standards.

So, let the boy live: he hasn’t understand yet that his feelings, his personality, that HE, in short, doesn’t matter at all. He still believes that he is a human been, while he is just a gladiator, and we have turned our thumbs down.


Gypsy Gal Says:

Mat4 i already am offended,its not even Stan i feel sorry for in all this its Donna,Kyrgios insulted her twice,not once but twice,Kokanakis banged your GF,hes banging a 19 year old,and now his brothers said she like Kokk,its intimating that as a woman shes a piece of meat,fair game for any man,we give Nick the benefit of the doubt and say hes a young guy shooting from the mouth and should let it go,hes apologized and been fined etc,i dont condone what Stans said or done as he aint no saint either,but two wrongs dont make a right,theres a time and a place for dirty linen been aired on a tennis court is not one of them,other people can say its a great,amazing,fantastic article if they wish their perogatives,i wont and thats mine sorry….


Gypsy Gal Says:

And yes maybe i am severe….


mat4 Says:

@GG:

There was once a debate between colleagues about husband that cheated on their wives. And an older colleague, after listening carefully the complaints of our dear ladies, he suddenly asked: “Who do husband cheat their wives with? Camels?”

So, here, who “banged” who? Do you affirm that men like it, but women don’t? That only DV is insulted, but 4K isn’t? That Stan is a rogue for cheating upon his wife, but DV is angel, for cheating her boyfriend?


mat4 Says:

husbands… among colleagues… husbands… etc.


Georgy Gal Says:

Sea Randall, no one is saying Stan is a saint. What Nick did deserves very severe punishment not because of his affront against Stan but because of his affront against Donna Vekic.


Okiegal Says:

@Mat4……What was Novak furious with Rafa about a few years ago? I’m sure I knew at the time it happened, but I can’t remember. Thanks for a reply, I’m going back in the memory bank……I can’t pull anything out! Lol. It’s crazy, I can remember everything about my childhood……but what happened a week ago……it gone!! :(


Gypsy Gal Says:

Mat4 as i said Stan aint no saint,and DV should know better than messing with another womans man if thats what she was doing?but that doesnt give NK the right to broadcast this to the entire world either,the Kokanakis bit well i dont know if DV was seeing him at the same time as Stan,and if so then hes no better,its the way its termed it makes her sound like a slut,strumpet,man steeler whatever,with the men its like yeah what a lad thats pulled a younger woman,good on him etc,the women always get the largest part of the blame when the men are also at fault,IMO tennis-x hit another all time low with this article….


Wog Boy Says:

mat4,
Not just that, but “Lolita” seduced older married man (knowing he was married) when she was hardly 18, not quite a picture of young, naive and innocent girl. Frankly, I don’t see any reason to be sorry for “Lolita”, but for his former wife and daughter having to go through all this sh$t.


elina Says:

No wonder it is the privileged males most likely Caucasian trying to justify the misogynistic statements made in public.

As I said, in 2008, the NHL rightfully suspended Sean Avery for six games for similar remarks.

There is no justification as much as the advantaged might want to sweep this under the rug.

Kyrgios should sit out the U.S. Open.


Gypsy Gal Says:

Wogboy a couple of days ago on another thread i commended you saying its both women you felt sorry for in all this,i thought it was nice of you to see it from both womens points of view,dont know if you read it?,you seemed to have changed your opinion though,no harm or foul just curious….


mat4 Says:

@elina:

There’s not misogyny here whatsoever.

Once again, we have probably here privileged Caucasian white females trying to justify male discrimination under the cover of sexism.


mat4 Says:

@WB:

Now that I am an older married man… oh, no, don’t tempt me with such sexist ideas…


elina Says:

Mat4 you prove my point.


Gypsy Gal Says:

Mat4 im not been sexist i said i dont think DV is a saint,but its just the terms used to describe her i dont like,there are no saints in this….


Okiegal Says:

As a woman, I can’t think of anything that would please me more is having my sex life expounded upon in a public venue…..are you kidding me?? She’s the one that has been put on display here. Genuinely feel bad her…….she was put in a bad light. No defence of Nick from me……..sorry! He did apologize, however…..a good step forward and hopefully he will garner a good lesson from his outburst. One other thing, that’s why I never did sleep around, because men have big mouths and love bragging rights!!!! But more than that, I had more respect for myself. You guessed it, only one guy in my whole life………


mat4 Says:

@GG:

To give a hand to my co-man WB, I don’t believe he has changed his opinion. Me too, I am here clearly on the side of SW child, and, therefore, his ex-wife. People don’t have to love each other to live well with each other and to maintain a good marriage for the benefit, and the emotional and psychological health of their children.


mat4 Says:

@Okiegal:

But 4K sex life has been exposed here… and nobody cares? Is DV more important than 4K? I need a clear answer, to be able to accuse you of sexism after that.

Rafa shot Novak in the head while both on the net.


mat4 Says:

@Okie wrote:

“men have big mouths and love bragging rights”

Yes, I completely agree. But, from my lifelong experience, I can assure you that:

women have big mouths and love bragging rights, TOO!


mat4 Says:

And there, we both missed the key word:

SOME

SOME men…

SOME women…


mat4 Says:

@elina:

You had no point.


mat4 Says:

@GG:

Of course, there are no saints in this. But… let him who is innocent cast the first stone…


Georgy Gal Says:

We cannot expect posters like Matt4 to understand that it is not Donna;s being a Lolita or otherwise that is at issue. She maybe seducing hundreds of older men for all we care. But Donna is not Stan’s property. Are women men’s property?


mat4 Says:

OK, I guess I need inspiration now, help from Dick Masterson and ideas from his fabulous site:

http://www.menarebetterthanwomen.com/

That man is a genius. Because he’s a man.


elina Says:

Of course mat4. As expected.


Gypsy Gal Says:

Well i would love for some female tennis player,or even famous woman to come forward and say hey you know what i slept with Nick Kyrgios and he was crap in bed,nothing hurts the male ego more than having his sexual prowess tarnished,lol this thread has turned into the battle of the sexes….


Gypsy Gal Says:

To add just to see how he likes it….


Okiegal Says:

@Mat4……Yes, you are correct…..should have said some, this is true. It’s also true that SOME women do like to brag…..why I don’t know. All I can say about 4K being exploited…. he made a bad decision when he told 2K about DV……I can’t feel to sort y for him……

I do remember the Rafa/Novak deal…..I believe that happened in Montreal. Novak said in the interview he wasn’t mad at Rafa, but aggravated at himself for missing it….but you could have fooled me he wasn’t mad. I’ve watched that clip a few times and Rafa went for the right shot and it looked like to me he was not even looking at Novak…..peripheral vision, maybe?? That’s water under the bridge. The 4K fiasco will be a “chess” pool of water under the bridge too, in time. Thanks for the reply.


Okiegal Says:

@Gypsy 11:39…….Love it! LOL :)


jalep Says:

Gypsy,

You leave, and you let a click-bait write-up of Sean’s, the defense of Kyrgios, win. When I read it, I laughed (out loud). It plays to the Krygios apologists. And, if you leave, Kyrgios apologists win. You are a valued voice here, maybe sensitive, yes, but that only pops up when your defenses of Rafa are on alert.

Where I agree with the Kyrgios apologists is that a defense of Stan is hypocritical. As I said before, Stan is no beacon of virtue.

The difference between Stan and Kyrgios is that Stan plays by both the explicit and implicit rules on court for tennis. Well, for the most part, Stan tows the ‘Politically Correct’ line but in a case like this, PC has its merit and is the ‘High Road’ over sledging and the like.

Look close at Trump, he’s not one to take a moral high ground. He is yet another example of getting what he wants in a bullying, disrespectful, unconscionable and narcissistic way. It’s not logical to take the leap and conclude: because he’s a billionaire and became powerful he must sensible, fair, a good fit, and can do the job justice. His anti-pc line is a con.

The insertion of Trump in Sean’s write-up is what made me laugh and think, Sean is not being serious here – he’s having a laugh himself. ;) has to be…

I do agree that there needs to be a better job moderating Nick Kyrgios on court. It’s not a good thing for tennis when he goes too far. Imagine if the majority of players acted like that. I’d stop watching tennis. It turns tennis into a joke sport like WWF and an insult to intelligence. But, it’s true, the masses see this stuff as entertainment and corporations get behind it to make $$$$$. Farcical tennis is the result. Mass appeal and $$$ does not give the sport credibility.

And I say this knowing that you know me, Gypsy…I like colorful characters in tennis. Nick’s behavior, not just this incident but taking his antics as a whole, goes too far, imo. But he’s not a lost cause.

I agree with Elina about Nick being allowed to play the US Open. It sends the message: Tennis will not be turned into something ridiculous.

Also loved mat4’s post at 8:11 am – I wasn’t going to even post on this thread until I read that. Well, said mat4.


Okiegal Says:

I don’t understand stand how Nick can be on court playing a match with a top player and lose focus enough to spout off something sexual about a friend who shared some gossipy info with him. Nick’s mind left the match momentarily to come up with something to retaliate against something Stan had said which was match related. Can you see Rafa, Roger or Novak doing that? I can’t.

I got aggravated at Rafa last night….I know that’s hard to believe. But he thought he got a bad call and he tried to get a rise out of the linesman by talking to him about it and the guy ignored him, rightfully so and the replay showed the call was right. I don’t think players should make a big issue over a call, right or wrong. If he watches this match again, he will see the error of his ways. This is a match he better watch again and take something positive from it.


Gypsy Gal Says:

Thanks Jalep and great post….

Okiegal thanks….


mat4 Says:

@jalep:

Thank you, dear old ethereal friend. Time and time again, you are one of the only few that takes time to read carefully my serious posts, and one of the few who knows when I am less serious…


Gypsy Gal Says:

Mat4 just to say i thought your link in your post @11.26am about men was very funny,even if we have had our disagreements today….


FedExpress Says:

chardy as useless as i expected

two cats who had 9 lives combined


mat4 Says:

@GG:

Yes, it is a very funny site. But the comments are hilarious: there are so many dead serious posters… on these humoristic pages.


Ken Says:

Sean Randall is a writer who is biased, doesn’t do his homework and basis his opinions on false or misleading premises. Does Mr. Randall work for FOX news?

>> 1) Why did Kyrgios say those words?
We all saw the video, heard him say it and he admitted to it. But why did he do it? What was the motivation? Hardly anyone is asking, but I will.
On the point or two before the no infamous incident, Stan and Nick did have a go at each other and I believe there was another occasion earlier in the match

Wawrinka was getting tired of Kyrgios’ antics, vulgar behavior and stalling throughout the match. A point or 2 before the “incident”, Kyrgios cussed at a ballkid and Wawrinka called him out on hit. I couldn’t tell exactly what he said, but it was pretty much, “grow up”. In addition to th $10k fine, Kyrgios was fined $2.5k for abusing the ballkid.

>>) This isn’t Stan’s first beef
We know last fall at the ATP finals something happened between Roger Federer, Mirka Federer and Stan.
Really, Stan getting into it with of all people Federer?

Roger’s wife was catcalling him during a match. That is REALLY bad form in pro tennis. Stan complained to the umpire about it (since she was so close to the court) and after the match Federer confronted him angrily and they both lost their tempers. Federer is usually a class-act, the same cannot be said for the wife.

>> 3) What’s up with Stan’s girlfriend
Stan is 30. Donna Vekic is 19. Fact.
Are they dating? They sure seem to be because Stan hasn’t denied it from anything I’ve read – and wouldn’t you set that record straight?
So they are an item and have been an item apparently for quite a while, more than likely even when Donna was just 17 …

There is no evidence that he ever dated her until after he and his wife split. Both were of legal age so it was nobody’s business (his ex-wife is older than he is, and nobody criticized her for getting involved with him). Stan’s personal life is nobody’s business and Kyrgios has no excuse for humiliating the girlfriend.

>> 4) Like Trump said last week, enough with this political correctness thing
Defending with Donald Trump’s misogynist, racist, anti-American comments and behavior? This means without any uncertainty that this writer has ZERO credibility

>>5) Kyrgios is just 20
He’s still a youngster.
20 years old = grownup. He’s also competing on a professional tour with rules and standards. If he doesn’t like it, he can go away. Nobody will miss him from tennis.


jalep Says:

Gypsy, thanks yourself. Post just popped out after reading the thread this morning.

Not wanting to hang Kyrgios, I like his tennis. Just wish he’s let his racket do the talking and skip the sledging with personal attack. Not wishing him to be a clone of Nole, Rafa, Roger…

mat4, my dear old ethereal friend, hope you keep ’em coming. It’s a pleasure.


Ahfi Says:

My Jesus Lord, I can’t believe this article. What is this world coming to? What has Stan’s personal life got to do with this? And all those details? Jeez.. Nick is just a young kid not matured enough for all these pressures. In fact, I agree with what he (Nick) said some time ago about taking some time off tennis. He definitely needs some guidance to avoid getting into worse situations in the future. But this situation does not warrant Stan’s life story being told on this platform. Whose life story are we going to tell next? Please grow up, somebody! I just can’t stop laughing…


Markus Says:

ZERO is accurate.


skip1515 Says:

Could Sean Randall have loaded this with more conjecture and based his “defense” on that? I don’t think so.

“On the point or two before the no infamous incident, Stan and Nick did have a go at each other and I believe there was another occasion earlier in the match. I think it’s safe to say there was bad blood between the two before they even stepped on the court Wednesday night in Montreal.”

Wawrinka had complained of Kyrgios’ stalling, and Kyrgios had, at one point, jumped up and down waving his arms as Wawrinka set up for a mid-court put away. That’s bad enough, but to take that to stating “there was bad blood between them” before the match is a huge leap.

“In June, Wawrinka crushed Kyrgios at Queen’s in just 49 minutes. Kyrgios said he was sick, but Stan clearly didn’t buy that excuse.So could Stan have really started this back at Queen’s? I don’t know, but as they say, there’s always another side to every coin.”

That’s right, Randall doesn’t know. The fact is that in the press conference after the Queen’s match Stan called Kyrgios the future of tennis.

“So maybe Stan poked the bear that is Kyrgios with those Queen’s comments,”

And maybe not.

This is just lousy journalism.

“So they are an item and have been an item apparently for quite a while, more than likely even when Donna was just 17 and Stan was still married to his wife Ilham Vuilloud”

“More than likely”? Evidence, please. From that statement the leap is made to “Stan hasn’t been the most faithful husband.”

There are more examples of such shoddy opinion writing, but this is plenty; Randall’s article is crap and doesn’t deserve the bandwidth it takes up.


Jock-KatH Says:

Can we risk letting Kyrgios go to Glasgow for the DC? – lots of “Glasgow kisses” there – and they’re not shy about telling it how it is….


Gypsy Gal Says:

^LOL KatH rack that post^….


jalep Says:

For those of you who randomly found yourself at this spot on this thread and don’t know what a ‘Glasgow Kiss’ is:

http://uncyclopedia.wikia.com/wiki/Glasgow_Kiss

Be very afraid, Aussies.


Wog Boy Says:

As Liverpool fan I declare that Glasgow kiss is plagiarism, it is Liverpool kiss that Scots stole from us, Liverpool fans:

http://youtu.be/dhxkehIA1lk


Alexandra Says:

I have no idea how people can still defend Kyrgios. It’s not the first thing with him and won’t be the last since he doesn’t change his attitude. This isn’t about age, but about missing character. Why does he even care about other people’s sex-life? The poor girl.
I don’t think there will be a suspension, but the ATP has do so something about his behaviour.


skeezer Says:

jalep,
“Biggus Headacheius”?
Hilarious! Lol :-)


Ulysses Says:

Can’t believe this crap attempt at defending a fully-grown adult. As Nadal said, age is no excuse, and I fully echo those comments. In fact, it’s clear that winning / getting better in tennis is not what Kyrgios is about (and hes said he doesnt like his job anyway), so my question is why continue to spread your miserable-ness to the tennis world that will do just fine without you?

“more than likely even when Donna was just 17” kindly provide more details on the line of thought that led you to this conclusion..

By the way, here Stan Wawrinka’s post-match press conference after their match @ Queen’s which Kyrgios’ camp apparently read as being total defamation of their young lad. Ridiculous.
http://www.asapsports.com/show_interview.php?id=110346

First, note Stan’s comments such as “for sure he’s the future of tennis…” and then here’s the answer from which apparently the bad blood began (you decide whether the retaliation was anywhere close to the dart board):

Q. He said after this tournament [Queens Club 2015] he doesn’t want to think about tennis for the week, two weeks. Does that surprise you?
STAN WAWRINKA: About what he’s saying? No, not really. I think he’s saying a lot of things every day, so it’s quite interesting for journalists to hear that (smiling).
I’m sure he’s not going to switch off. I’m sure he will be ready for Wimbledon, because if he switch off two weeks of tennis, then he can go home and not play Wimbledon. It’s coming up. So you need to be ready if you want to play well.
Doesn’t really surprise me. When I read his interview, it’s always funny, a lot of things you can take. When I read before the match he was ready, excited for the challenge, and now he was sick.
So I’m just saying he’s saying a lot of things, and I think it’s always interesting as a player to read what he’s saying and how his mind working.


Giles Says:

I really, really, really hope they suspend/ban him for a verrrrrry long time. Worst thing that happened to tennis by far. Bu€€er off Kyrgios,


Gordon Says:

I’m surprised no one has brought up the Michael Llodra incident 3 years ago at the US Open, where he called an Asian-American fan a “Chinese whore” in French.

Llodra was fined $2,500.

Some of you want Kyrgios executed for locker room insults picked up by a microphone. Or perhaps castration would appease you.

None of these guys descended from Valhalla; they are just people – and in Kyrgios’ case quite immature at times. But to suspend or ban him? Some if you are stupider than you think I think you are.


Jock-KatH Says:

Cheers GG and Jalep – couldn’t resist. To Wog Boy – pleased you’ve got a Liverpool version – sounds a bit safer than the original…..


rob Says:

Put it this way…what if someone told you in front of many, many people that someone was banging your wife or girlfriend? that’s a low blow…that comes from the pit of hell…pure evil..and you’re defending this p.o.s.? ATP should suspend him for a year…min. 6 months so he misses U.S. and Aussie Opens…that will keep his mouth shut.

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