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Nick Kyrgios' on-court antics help tennis attract new viewers, believes sports journalist and blogger Eric Hubbs.
Kyrgios picked up a knee injury at the Japan Open last October and hasn't played a tour-level singles match since. Just as he was about to regain his fitness, he suffered a cut on his foot during an incident where a man held his mother at gunpoint before stealing his car in Canberra.
It has been confirmed that the 28-year-old Australian will not feature in the 2023 French Open.
The tennis world has always been divided over Kyrgios and his controversies. Addressing the issue on the Tennis Channel Inside-In podcast, Hubbs praised Kyrgios, saying that tennis needed him to attract new fans.
"When Nick does something, I blog it," Hubbs said. "That guy is so polarizing, some people think he's horrible for the sport. I think the sport maybe not needs him because he may have bridged the gap to Carlos [Alcaraz], the guy who has taken the reigns here, but for a little while, we needed Nick to do his thing and to win a few tournaments and make a few runs. It's a shame he wasn't there [at the 2023 Australian Open].
Hubbs added that Holger Rune was following in Kyrgios' footsteps, which could be why the two players support bond well.
"I absolutely love watching him play," he added. "He's just willing to speak his mind and he loves the [Boston] Celtics and his love for the NBA, I appreciate that. And Holger is getting there too, and of course, who is there to defend Holger but Nick because he feels him and knows what he's going through. I don't find anything wrong with those guys, they're great for the sport."
Hubbs also stated that players like Kyrgios and Rune were turning casual tennis watchers into diehard fans.
"I don't want people forcing themselves to become villains but when it naturally flows that way and a guy plays with the crowd, that's cool, fun and exciting. That's the stuff that people who don't even like tennis, when they those clips on Twitter, [they think] 'When's that guy playing next, I want to see those matches, not the boring stuff, I want to see Nick Kyrgios going between his legs and pumping up the crowd'," he opined.
Nick Kyrgios to return to action at Boss Open 2023
Nick Kyrgios is set to make a comeback at the ATP 250 Boss Open, to be played in Germany's Stuttgart from June 12-18. He reached the semifinals of the tournament last year, where Andy Murray beat him in straight sets.
Although the Aussie reached his maiden Grand Slam final at the 2022 Wimbledon, losing to Novak Djokovic, he is yet to win a title on grass, with all seven of his singles titles coming on the hard surface.
