By Michael Chammas
Nick Kyrgios' decision to take aim at Donald Trump by wearing a controversial T-shirt has earned him the respect of former tennis great Pat Cash, who praised him for having the confidence to speak his mind.
Kyrgios sent tongues wagging when he strolled out to a press conference after his Fast4 victory against Rafael Nadal on Monday wearing a T-shirt with "F--- Donald Trump" below a picture of the US President-elect sporting devil-like horns.
Fairfax Media asked a female American player at the Sydney International on her views of the shirt, to which she replied: "No one in America would care. They all do that sort of stuff towards him."
The 21-year-old Kyrgios has received plenty of support for his stance, which is sure to be a talking point when the world converges on Melbourne Park for the start of the Australian Open next week.
Nick Kyrgios' T-shirt took aim at Donald Trump.Credit: Michael Chammas
And while there has been some criticism thrown at Kyrgios for his choice of attire, Cash saw the lighter side of the world No.14's strong political message.
"I laughed when I first heard about it," Cash said. "I don't think he's taking it too seriously is he? That's the whole point. I'm not a huge believer in swear words on your T-shirt but Nick is Nick. It's just the way he is. You get political, and it's hard not to when you see things from people you don't like.
"I kind of get it. I remember after Wimbledon I bought a T-shirt as a joke. The one I bought said 'leave me alone'. I wore it as joke because I knew people would take it out of context and blow it out of proportion. All the guys in the locker room were asking me if I was really going to wear it because they knew it would be a big story. And guess what? Smash, bang, it was a big story."
Just moments after what was an impressive victory against the 14-time grand slam champion at the Fast4 tournament in Sydney, Kyrgios scrambled through his bag for a shirt.
Sense of perspective: Pat Cash says Nick Kyrgios deserves respect for speaking his mind.Credit: Darrian Traynor
He had just strapped ice on to his injured knee when he was summoned to the post-match press opportunity, grabbing the eye-catching shirt so he could fulfil his media obligations.
Asked about the decision to wear the shirt, Kyrgios said: "It's pretty explanatory."
A former professional American tennis player, little-known Jamie Hampton, was clearly an admirer of Kyrgios' shirt, tweeting the Australian to ask: "You got an extra one?"
Cash said he respected Kyrgios' care-free attitude.
"Look, some of the criticism of Nick is kind of warranted," he said. "Some of his behaviour isn't great, I'm sure he knows that. There's only so many times you can say he's a young guy having a bit of fun. At some stage he's got to understand it's going to cause a stir. He's done that with this shirt.
"If he is just having a bit of fun, then it is a bit of fun. I laughed at it. I think he has got to the stage where he doesn't really care what people think of him. I think there's something to be respected about that."
Kyrgios' choice of fashion could make for interesting viewing when he next touches down in the US. Many on social media have even joked about Trump denying him entry into the country.
"From the looks of it, he might end up being targeted by the CIA," Cash joked. "They might be gathering information on him as we speak. Look, Nick's an entertainer. You have to give it to him. People take it a little bit too seriously sometimes."
The controversy over Kyrgios' T-shirt overshadowed what was an important night for the young Australian leading into an Australian Open tournament that he has claimed he has the potential to win this year.
He didn't look hampered by the knee injury that caused him grief at the Hopman Cup, but admitted he was prepared to play through the pain if he wasn't fully fit in time for the opening grand slam of the year.
"I was starting to feel it a little bit towards the end but I had to test it today," Kyrgios said of the match against Nadal.
"If I can't play Fast4, then it's not going to be looking great for a best-of-five at a grand slam. But I'm really happy with how it pulled up. I have a couple more treatments to go with what I'm doing. I think I'm improving every day."