By Linda Pearce
Shanghai: While Andy Murray says he and Nick Kyrgios share regular locker room chats about tennis, basketball and sport in general, the world No.2 has offered himself as a willing guide through far more substantial issues. "You don't want to see young guys who are in the spotlight struggling and making mistakes," Murray said. "Doing things that ultimately hurt them."
Yet so it was this week in Shanghai, when the car crash that is Kyrgios carried the petulant behaviour from his second-round loss to German Mischa Zverev into the interview room, declared he owed nothing to the spectators who had paid to watch him and showed no remorse for a display – not trying, arguing profanely with fans – he belatedly acknowledged on social media as, "not good enough today on many levels. I'm better than that. I can go on about excuses but there are none. Sorry".
Andy Murray insists Nick Kyrgios is "always happy, friendly, nice to everyone".Credit: Reuters
So the world No.14 understood. Or was directed to. But, says Murray, tennis can also play its part: "In those situations he maybe needs to be guided a little bit better and I'm sure he will learn from that. He's often gone into press conferences after matches and said things I know he doesn't mean and he regrets. I know that because I have spent time with him and see him around.
"He's always happy, friendly, nice to everyone. And then he doesn't control himself, and in those situations it's when he needs to learn to be a little bit calmer and not say the things he does. Because it reflects badly on him, obviously."
Kyrgios is not the only one. In the first rankings week in 13 years without either Roger Federer or Rafael Nadal among the top four, some degree of guard change is surely imminent. Novak Djokovic and Murray still lead the pack, with a now-annual cameo from three-slam Stan Wawrinka, but soon it will be time for the so-called #NextGen group headed by Kyrgios and the latest teen to reach the top 20: Alexander Zverev, who this week put on a world-class exhibition – of racquet-smashing, at least – on centre court.
Murray believes young players need guidance and protection. He is unsure if fines – Kyrgios was docked $21,837, or less than half his prize money, but so far spared the suspension many considered warranted – do anything to help avoid repeat code-of-conduct transgressions. Clearly, some players handle the spotlight better than others, and few have endured more of it than the Scot.
Now 29, and a dual Wimbledon and Olympic champion, Murray said he did not initially deal well with the attention and scrutiny that came with – our words – his exceptional talent and extraordinary expectations. And there are some circumstantial parallels with Kyrgios, as a 21-year-old Great Hope from a grand slam nation itching for its next big thing.
"I struggled with it massively," said Murray, despite having tapped into Tim Henman's acquired wisdom in his early years. "We don't always talk about that, we don't always discuss it when we're that age and sometimes mental health of players or athletes is not really discussed.
"As an athlete we're supposed to be mentally strong and if you are seen to be talking about feelings or anything like that, not believing in yourself or backing yourself or struggling to cope with pressure, that's seen as a negative. So from a young age you don't open up really and it's something that as you get older it becomes a lot easier to do it, but it should be encouraged from a young age to actually speak up about it.
"I know we're in a very privileged position and sport is great and we are very lucky to be doing what we're doing, but there is also a lot of pressure and it's not always that easy to deal with. The more people can speak up about their issues, their problems, the better, but there's not really ever been a culture of that in sport before ... everything is kept hush hush, you're not supposed to say anything about it."
So Murray has, and perhaps Kyrgios will be among those to listen. Wise words, indeed.
Linda Pearce is a guest of the Shanghai Rolex Masters