"Can't just continually promote the same players": Nick Kyrgios bashes tennis commentary, calls for 'shake-up'
ATP
Nick Kyrgios has seen both sides of the game as both a commentator during his hiatus and also as a player. Now ready to return, he has taken fresh swipes for the current state of tennis commentary.
Whilst not named by Kyrgios, certain commentators have come in for flack in the past few years including John McEnroe for not knowing who Nicolas Jarry is. As well as Andrew Castle for saying he wouldn't pronounce Carlos Alcaraz the Spanish way.
Kyrgios said that it needs a shake up and also that the sport needs to evolve and not continually promoting the same players just for commercial benefit.
“I'm not a very critical commentator,” he told The AO Show.
“I don't like when commentators beat down (on players) or are too critical, because it's not easy out there, in today's day and age, the game's so physical.”
“Tennis commentating right now needs a bit of a shake-up, I think. I guess when you've really played, and you understand the Futures and the Challengers, like how many players there are on a global scale, (you understand) how hard it is to actually make it into the top 128 players to make a Grand Slam.”
“Our job as commentators is to study these players and know their journey, and hopefully get their name out there. We can't just continually promote the same players over and over again. There are some good players out there that no-one knows. I take that into account when I'm commentating - I like to really get it out there.”
Nick Kyrgios has seen both sides of the court in the past few years.
Also as he noted with many people of a certain age growing up in a fast sharp generation of TikTok and other social media with low attention spans, Kyrgios said that it also needs to move with the times in terms of that aspect too.
“I think commentating and this (media) side of things in the tennis world is so underrated,” he added.
“When someone turns on the TV, they might not know - we're not talking about the fans that have followed the sport for 20 years - we're talking about new fans and bringing them to the game. They're not going to know anything about these players.
"So the commentating needs to be up-to-date, I guess, in a way. It needs to be, like, kind of how the generation is now.
“They can't concentrate for more than a couple of minutes, so it needs to be loud, it needs to be energetic for a 20-second, 30-second (bit) and that might grab a new fan.”
Nick Kyrgios will make his return to professional tennis in Brisbane next year.
— The Tennis Letter (@TheTennisLetter) November 15, 2024
He’s been sidelined with wrist and knee injuries, both of which he had surgery for.
Ready to make his return in front of his home crowd. 🇦🇺 pic.twitter.com/5LQtXnBF1p
Samuel GillEditor-in-Chief
Samuel Gill is the Chief Content Officer (CCO) of TennisUpToDate.com, a role he has held since 2020. He is responsible for editorial governance across the platform, including setting content standards, overseeing accuracy and consistency, and guiding long-term editorial strategy. Since joining, he has contributed more than 10,000 articles and editorial pieces across the TennisUpToDate network, playing a central role in the daily operation and development of the site.
Based in Leicester, Samuel has a broad background in tennis media. In his current role, he works closely with editors and writers to ensure coverage meets clear journalistic standards, with particular attention to verification, consistency, and timely updates when new information becomes available.
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