No sooner had we expressed our regrets over our less than kind words of assessment regarding the professional maturity of tennis player Nick Kyrgios, congratulating him for his recent breakthrough in winning the Japan Open, than he reverted to his weak impersonation of vintage John McEnroe.
Less than a week ago, we said, perhaps we were wrong, perhaps the antics were finally behind him, perhaps, at long last, the undeniable talent would rise to dominate and raise the Phoenix of Australian tennis from the ashes.
We were premature, apparently.
Kyrgios went from Japan to China, stopping in Shanghai only long enough to turn in a desultory performance against the 112th ranked player in the world, German Mischa Zverev.
Kyrgios won only four games out of the 16 played, losing 6 – 3, 6 – 1.
At one point in the first set, he actually lobbed a soft serve in the general direction on Zverev, and then walked off the court before Zverev had returned the ball!
Come to think of it, McEnroe in his prime, at his most petulant, never stooped to such an unsportsmanlike stunt.
Kyrgios’ comments following the match were so beyond the pale that we refuse to quote any of them here, other than to summarise the context by saying that Kyrgios suggested to fans who did not approve that they should go and engage in an impossible act of solo sexual reproduction.
