"He puts bums on seats" - Wimbledon champion Max Purcell believes Kyrgios is 'great for the sport'
ATP
Although Nick Kyrgios may have his detractors, there are still several who believe the Australian is too talented to ignore, among which is countryman and Wimbledon doubles champion Max Purcell.
Purcell teamed up with fellow Aussie Mathew Ebden to lift the doubles title at the All England Club this summer, becoming the first Australian duo to be crowned champions since 2000.
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The 24-year old is measured and methodical in his speech and manner on-court, which is a stark difference to compatriot Kyrgios. That contrast in personality traits might lead one to believe Purcell doesn't have time for Kyrgios' more brash brand of play.
However, Purcell defended his compatriot and insisted Kyrgios "does a s**t ton of good," such as raising money via his charity, the Melbourne-based NK Foundation. It's a side of the athlete that receives far less media exposure than any of his on-court antics or personal life.
"Personally, I think Nick's great for the sport," said Purcell, who looks upon Kyrgios' rebellious manner as an effective form of PR. "He puts bums on seats. Every match he plays, I want to watch, especially when he plays against the top guys. Nick's just Nick.
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"He does whatever he wants, which is fine because he's a popular person. Everyone wants to watch him, everyone wants to be like him, and it's not every day you get to see a person like Nick who doesn't exactly put 100 per cent in on the practice court—or even practice that much—troubling the best players in the world, and it just shows how much talent he has. He's still, for sure, one of the most exciting players I want to watch."
In addition to winning this year's doubles title at Wimbledon, Purcell has also finished runner-up at the Australian Open men's doubles event on two occasions, in 2020 and 2022.
Growing up in a household where soccer was king, my earliest memories are filled with chants from packed stadiums and the rhythm of a ball being passed across neighborhood streets. But somewhere along the way, the quiet elegance and raw emotion of tennis pulled me in. What began as a curiosity became a lifelong passion; not just for the sport itself, but for the stories it tells: of grit, of heartbreak, of improbable comebacks and human resilience.
As a tennis writer, I bring the observational lens of someone who didn’t grow up in the sport, but fell in love with it as an outsider; a perspective that lets me see both its technical beauty and its emotional depth. Over the years working with TennisUpToDate, I’ve had the privilege of reaching more than 3.5 million readers worldwide, with one of my features ranking among the site’s top three articles.
With a background in storytelling and a creative mind always searching for meaning beyond the scoreboard, I aim to craft narratives that go deeper than results and rankings. Whether it’s a rising star breaking through or a veteran fighting off Father Time, I try to capture the heartbeat behind the headlines.
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