What’s the story?
Australian World No. 18 Nick Kyrgios is to be coached by French player Sebastien Grosjean, a former World No. 4, according to a journalist and regular tennis commentator who is close friends with the French ace.
In Case You Didn’t Know...
Kyrgios, who is good on all surfaces but strongest on grass, has been described as many as a future Wimbledon winner, if not a future No. 1. The Australian has been without a coach since he began, and last year won his debut title – at the Rakuten Japan Open, an ATP500 tournament. But the player has become known more for his antics off the court than on it, with even former World No. 1 John McEnroe saying the player had psychological issues.
The 23-year-old has seen multiple fines and sanctions for his behaviour – which included throwing a match at the Shanghai Rolex Masters in 2016, with the player mandated psychological counseling.
Heart of the Matter
Kyrgios has not had a formal coach since he went pro, and although he has had strong – and for a fair time fairly consistent results on the Tour, Kyrgios’ biggest problems perhaps have been of the mental kind. Famously prone to flying off the handle at the shortest possible notice, Kyrgios has long needed a tempering influence to help what is an already excellent game on the court flourish.
Many have called for Kyrgios to “not waste” his talent, and a formal coach would be a definitive step in that direction.
The news was all but confirmed officially today, with Grosjean retweeting a well-known French sports journalist who first revealed the news on Twitter. The tweet also said the two had been working together since February and Florida, and would continue to do so.
Both will see their goals meet – while Grosjean only wants to coach part time, he has been interested in Kyrgios’ career for some time. Kyrgios, too, perhaps will serve better with a part-time coach than a full-time one.
Author’s Take
This is a good step in the right direction for Kyrgios. Perhaps the most naturally talented tennis player we’ve seen in a long time, the young – and mercurial – Australian could really use a sobering influence in his life. Grosjean coached Richard Gasquet until the end of 2016, and is an experienced coach. We haven’t exactly seen shining results from the youngster just yet, but I’ll put that down more to his recent struggles in his personal life – Kyrgios just lost his grandfather, to whom he was very close, and that can push the best of athletes (or everyone) over the edge.
He’s also struggling with a hip injury currently, so given some time this could do quite well.
What’s Next?
Kyrgios has been managing a decent doubles game although he’s sidelined from the singles. That said, he’s still playing, finishing his Madrid Masters run early with a loss to eventual champion Rafael Nadal, while he’ll open his jaunt at the Italian Open (the Internazionali BNL d’Italia) against Spaniard Roberto Bautista Agut.
Behind-the-scenes support has often been key to an athlete’s success, so partnering with Grosjean could well be useful. That said, it’s too early to extrapolate any answers especially considering Kyrgios’ personal circumstances.
Kyrgios is now up to play the Italian Open before the year’s clay court Grand Slam at Roland Garros.
