‘It’s tough’: the Australian Open’s Kyrgios conundrum
Steve Larkin |
Australian Open organisers will be grappling with an agonising decision on issuing Nick Kyrgios a wildcard, Mark Philippoussis says.
Philippoussis says there are clear-cut pros and cons regarding the Australian drawcard’s possible appearance at the Melbourne grand slam.
“I see the upside as far as the eyes being on him there,” Philippoussis told AAP.
“If he can go on and play 100 per cent and loses, that’s OK. If he’s able to compete … and feel good and he loses, that’s no problem at all.
“But if he goes out there and can’t perform but brings in the crowd for a couple of hours, is that enough?
“It’s tough. I see both sides. I see the upside but also the downside as well.
“You get a wildcard at a tournament and you don’t produce because physically you break down, it doesn’t look good. It’s not good for the tournament, it’s certainly not good for the player, so everything is a balancing act.”
Kyrgios, who will play women’s world No.1 Aryna Sabalenka in the so-called Battle of the Sexes in Dubai on December 28, has already been awarded a Brisbane International wildcard.
The 2022 Wimbledon finalist has expressed interest in competing at Melbourne Park.
But in the 2025 Australian Open, he memorably crashed to a first-round straight sets loss when playing hurt.
“He wouldn’t feel good about that,” Philippoussis said.
“He couldn’t perform and that wasn’t much of a show … not being able to do what you want to do is being in a very tough place.
“I don’t think he is going to want to feel the same way, so I think it’s better for him to go: ‘I want to play doubles and focus on next year’ or build on that.”
Australian Open organisers are expected to lock in all wildcards just prior to qualifying starting on January 12, having overlooked Kyrgios when they gave four Australians a call-up to the main draw on Monday.
Kyrgios has undergone four rounds of knee and wrist surgery in the past three years.
Philippoussis said Kyrgios’s fitness was obviously key, but so was his mentality.
“I don’t know where his mind is at,” he said.
“I don’t know what he wants to do in his career. Does he want to give it one more go? How serious does he want to take it?
“I know watching him last year and even a couple of years ago, he couldn’t move – and it doesn’t matter how big that serve is if it comes back and you can’t move.”
Philippoussis said there was also another factor in the Kyrgios wildcard call: if granted, would it rob a young Australian of a potentially career-changing opportunity?
“If you have got a hungry young Aussie kid who is coming up and give him an opportunity, he could win one or two matches to start off his career and he’s on the way,” he said.
“It’s not easy. I certainly wouldn’t want to be a tournament director where you have got to come up with these decisions.
“I think they can leave it until the last second and just see if he looks good. It’s a no-brainer if he looks good and hasn’t pulled up sore.”
AAP
