Nick Kyrgios expressed his concerns for the future of men’s tennis from a marketing standpoint.
For the past decade the Australian has established himself as one of the most controversial yet talented players on the ATP Tour.
Whether tennis watchers are fans of Kyrgios or not, they are always drawn to whatever he is saying or doing either on or off court, as they don’t know what to expect.
The former World number 13 always has an opinion and now he has shared his thoughts on the future of men’s tennis, which is ushering in a new era post the dominance of Rafael Nadal, Novak Djokovic and Roger Federer.
Does Nick Kyrgios fear for the future of men’s tennis?
For almost 20 years, at least one of Federer, Nadal and Djokovic has been at the summit of men’s tennis. The trio pushed each other to set numerous records in tennis and produce epic matches that are regarded as some of the best of all time.
Fans were enthralled by the careers of those three legends and were responsible for most of the success tennis had from a marketing standpoint over the past two decades.
With Federer retired, Nadal soon to bid farewell to tennis and Djokovic no longer the sole dominant force the game, Nick Kyrgios worries that the sport will suffer and explains what tennis to improve on.
“Tennis needs to do such a better job or marketing our sport. There are tournaments every single week of the year. If you look at the EPL or the NBA, the crowds are always packed,” Kyrgios told the Louis Theroux Podcast.
“Whereas tennis you could watch an event thst is on this week and you could tune into the stadium and it could be half full. With the Grand Slams it will always be relevant. Wimbledon is the holy grail of sport for me. With those four Grand Slams it will be incredibly hard for tennis to die off.
“But with the marketing and the players that we have had, you would have seen Federer, Nadal, Djokovic and Murray. These guys are legends of our sport who have carried our sport for 30 years. Once those guys go, it’s going to take a big hit I think.”
What did Nick Kyrgios say about Rafael Nadal’s retirement?
As mentioned previously, Nadal is set to retire from tennis. He will play his final matches at the Davis Cup finals in Malaga, Spain.
He will end his career with 22 Grand Slam titles and a legacy that no other player will be able to replicate. Many have issued tributes to Nadal following his announcement, including Kyrgios, who played the Spaniard nine times.
The Australian won on three occasions, including his shock victory against him at the 2014 Wimbledon Championships as a teenager.
“Rafa don’t retire I wanna play you one last time,” Kyrgios wrote on X. “We had our differences but you were one hell of a warrior. Best wishes and good luck with whatever comes next.”
He added: “Damn. I’ve had nightmares that have woke me up about Rafa. I’m gonna miss them. This was someone that I used to prepare for.
“He was a motivation – I guess an inspiration. F**k – it’s true- people do bring the best out of you. You were one of those people.”
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