Nick Kyrgios 'busted' playing basketball while too injured for ATP Atlanta 2017

Nick Kyrgios was spotted playing basketball in Canberra, the capital of Australia, recently. The 'spotting' carries a bit of controversy, because Kyrgios pulled out of ATP Atlanta 2017, a tournament running in the American south this week. The 250-level tennis tournament is a low-tiered event that is part of the 2017 US Open series. When pulling out of Atlanta, Kyrgios mentioned a hip injury as the problem: "Having to make the decision not to defend my title at the BB&T Atlanta Open was really tough and disappointing," the Aussie claimed (Kyrgios qtd.

at tennis.com by Kamakshi Tandon).

Kyrgios' other controversies

The 22-year old is no stranger to controversy and drama. A couple years ago at about this time in the season he made inappropriate comments to Stan Wawrinka during their match at the 2015 montreal Masters. Kyrgios spoke openly during the match about the sex life of Donna Vekic, Wawrinka's girlfriend. The in-match comments referenced a partner that she had prior to her entering a relationship with Wawrinka. More recently, Kyrgios received a suspension for tanking it at the 2017 Shanghai Masters.

Those two instances stand out as the major controversies in recent years for the underachieving Aussie. However, additional to those controversies are tons of examples of poor on-court behavior involving grouchiness and, at times, just being a lout.

It's these issues that make him volatile and upset prone in many of his matches. For instance, back at the Australian Open earlier this season he seemed to implode in a first-round match against Andeas Seppi. Despite holding a two-sets-to-love lead, Kyrgios would lose the match to the Italian veteran after seemingly losing his cool.

The basketball thing no big deal?

That said, playing basketball against competitors that are balding and of the opposite sex isn't exactly grueling for an ATP player. Furthermore, low-intensity basketball involves different motions than playing for ranking points in a hotly-contested tournament on tour. While Atlanta's draw isn't filled with top stars, the American players have shown up for the event and they will each be looking to do well on American soil.

As far as Kyrgios goes, the basketball playing while injured is a mild controversy. In fact, it could be viewed as a non-issue for numerous players due to the non-competitive nature of it and the fact that basketball can involve different motions. It's likely tennis motions that are bothersome for the Aussie and the reason that he missed Atp Atlanta.