In a conservative sport like tennis, most of the athletes have remained diplomatic both on and off the court. In fact, those players were widely appreciated by fans for being calm in tough situations. But, the scenario slightly changed when a fiery player like Nick Kyrgios, who is always vocal on a tennis court, is widely popular for producing entertaining matches over the past few years.

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Despite not playing a single tournament since the Australian Open this year, fans are excited to see Kyrgios back at Wimbledon. The Aussie prefers grass-courts and also had tremendous success over the years at SW19.

However, Kyrgios is yet to perform consistently at Wimbledon besides reaching quarter-finals in 2014. The Australian player will be unseeded at SW19 this year due to the lack of participation in enough tournaments.

As the Aussie didn’t play a single tournament since the second-round defeat to Dominic Thiem at Melbourne, the first-round match at SW19 should be tricky for Kyrgios.

“You should be allowed to smash a racquet” – Taylor Fritz

Known for frequent outbursts on-court, Nick Kyrgios is appreciated by fellow players as they believe that he is one of the best entertainers on-court. Recently, the American tennis player Taylor Fritz talked about how players should be given freedom to express themselves fully on-court.

“You should be allowed to smash a racquet on court and not have to worry about getting a $20,000 fine the next day. People want to see that”, Fritz said in a recent podcast.

After getting a lot of mixed reactions to his statement, the American player decided to inform tennis fans about how the stadium is always packed whenever Kyrgios plays.

“Nick Kyrgios matches always packed” – Fritz on the Aussie’s style of play

“Seeing a lot of people pretty upset about this not saying I wanna break racquets, I very rarely do. I’m just saying the drama brings fans… there’s a reason certain people and matches always have high viewership. Nick Kyrgios matches always packed…” tweeted the American.

Agreeing to the statement made by Fritz, another American tennis player Ryan Harrison also pointed out the numerous instances where Kyrgios was fined for misbehavior on-court and yet his matches will always be widely popular.

Even the Aussie quoted the comment by Harrison and tweeted, “This is real talk”. 

While it’s true that Nick Kyrgios is one of the best entertainers on a tennis court, rules or fines are present to make sure a player doesn’t go completely reckless knowing that he can’t be stopped.

It’s essential for tennis to have a player like Kyrgios to bring in more passion to the game. But, it’s equally important for players to obey the rules imposed by the ATP while playing a competitive match.

Also read: “Who Wants In?”: Nick Kyrgios in Hunt for Mixed Doubles Partner for Wimbledon Championships 2021