Nick Kyrgios says it used to be hard for him to get endorsements because he was painted as a villain: “I’ve got a lot of endorsements & stuff. With tennis, that hasn’t always been easy to be honest. They’ve painted me as a villain for a long time in my career. When really, I was…
(VIDEO) "They’ve painted me as a villain": Nick Kyrgios reveals how his "bad boy" reputation affected endorsements
Tennis NewsFriday, 13 October 2023 at 12:15
Nick Kyrgios has revealed how his portrayal as a "villain" of the sport affected his sponsors and endorsements in the past.
The 2022 Wimbledon finalist has missed a large part of this season due to injury. He withdrew from the Australian Open because of a knee injury and ended up skipping the Roland Garros as well before attempting to make a comeback at the Stuttgart Open in June, where he lost in the first round.
He then pulled out of Wimbledon and the US Open due to a wrist injury but has since revealed that he intends to return at the 2024 Australian Open in January.
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Kyrgios opens up on consequences of "villain" reputation
The 28-year-old has always been known for speaking his mind and is no stranger to trash-talking and showing his emotions both on and off the court. This has led some to see him as the "bad boy" of tennis.
In a recent episode of American boxing legend Mike Tyson's Hotboxin' with Mike Tyson podcast, the Australian player revealed that he didn't understand why the media and fans had portrayed him as a "villain" and that the notion that he was "too volatile" had affected his endorsements in the past.
"I’ve got a lot of endorsements and stuff. With tennis, that hasn’t always been easy to be honest. They’ve painted me as a villain for a long time in my career. When really, I was like smashing a racquet... I could play a 4 hour match and the match would be so high quality. For 5 seconds I broke a racquet. That’s all they would focus on.
"It was super hard for a long part of my career to try and get deals. People were like ‘This guy’s too volatile.’ I’m like ‘I’m swearing.’ That’s all I’m doing. Stuff like that," he said.
However, Kyrgios added that this was not a problem for him anymore and that he feels as though more people are rooting for him now.
"I feel like now I’m definitely more embraced. I feel like they’re actually rooting for me to do well," he continued.
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