Nick Kyrgios fell in the final of the 2017 Western & Southern Open, losing to Grigor Dimitrov in straight sets. While the loss has to be disappointing for Kyrgios, he is still well on the younger side of established ATP stars. At 22 years old the future looks bright and perhaps it's worth pointing out that Kyrgios made a Masters Series final four years before the 26-year old Dimitrov did, despite losing on Sunday. The Aussie reacted to his representation in the Australian media following what was a very significant result for him.
"Haha" Kyrgios tweeted after reading a headline
The article that Kyrgios reacted to was written at True Viral News with no author listed (August 20th, 2017). The article itself is not overly critical, but rather seems to lament that Kyrgios did not bring a Masters Series title to Australia. The country had gone in a drought since the early parts of this century when Lleyton Hewitt was a central figure on tour. However, the headline of the article wasn't flattering as it read "Nick Kyrgios flops in a historic title bid." People might vary on what they think it means to flop in the context of sports however certainly it means to lose in a less-than-exceptional manner. "Haha typical Australian media," Kyrgios wrote in a retweeted message on Sunday in North America.
That Kyrgios thinks he has a bad rap with the media is clear. Perhaps it's half earned, and the other half is just writers going where Kyrgios' reputation takes them. As a case of Kyrgios taking some media heat for not much of a good reason, earlier this summer he was central to a very mild controversy after he pulled out of ATP Atlanta.
A short time after withdrawing he was spotted playing basketball in Canberra, something that was presented as a question of just how injured he was. The matter was not overly covered, but just that it got any attention was strange given that mixed-sex pick-up basketball that is of a frivolous nature isn't the same as playing against John Isner, the champion at Atlanta 2017, in a professional match.
Media could focus on Kyrgios rising
Kyrgios will receive 600 ranking points that will go into effect on Monday and stay active for 52 weeks. That's not just chump change for the Aussie, in fact, it's his biggest cash-in for ranking points in a single event. He has made Grand Slam quarterfinals, but the ranking-point implications for those results is 360 points. Furthermore, his title from Tokyo last year was worth just 500 ranking points. He will be up in the rankings on Monday, back into the top 20 on tour. If no injury news is coming out of his camp following his efforts at the Western & Southern Open, then he promises to be a major factor at Flushing Meadows, a tournament that starts on August 28th.
