The male who found out Nick Kyrgios claims his negative boy persona is a Security Resource

The gentleman who discovered a teenage Nick Kyrgios claims the poor boy persona the polarising Aussie star throws up is just a protection mechanism to defend him from the slings and arrows of tennis stardom.

Previous agent and mentor John Morris discovered Kyrgios 12 several years in the past when he was just a teen and finally signed him, going on a 10-year journey with the controversial Aussie star.

Even again then, there ended up controversial times. Like the time Kyrgios ripped off his sleeves, contravening the gown code, mainly because he wanted to don a singlet. Or the time he stunned Nike executives by sporting his favourite Nike shirt that was 18 months out of day.

Kyrgios performs a backhand in his very first round juniors match against Vladimir Polyakov of Russia during day seven of the 2011 Australian Open up

These were not moments of rebel, just simple problems. But it showed that Kyrgios marched to the defeat of his very own drum from a extremely early age.

 Like everyone, Morris has witnessed the public darkish side of Kyrgios. The racket throwing, umpire abusing, crowd taunting version of the Aussie star that places quite a few noses out of sign up for in the regular landscape of environment tennis.

But he has also viewed the Kyrgios who ripped his match-worn shoes off his feet to increase cash for charity, his willingness to sacrifice his possess planning to enable others and the intense loyalty he footwear to those people in his inner circle. 

Morris instructed The Age that the bluster and bravado that Kyrgios throws up in general public was absolutely nothing extra than a mask, to secure the sweet kid Morris identified all all those many years in the past.

‘He grew to become a caricature of this undesirable boy graphic and he played up to it a minimal bit,’ Morris said.

‘It wasn’t definitely him. And then you go down a path and, finally, he just assumes the function. Even this 7 days, he is good participating in the role of the villain. It is virtually that – it truly is a function. In many ways it is a stage persona, but it is a safety software.

‘If he’s currently being brief, with his partitions up, in his mind he are unable to get hurt. He is pondering, ‘If I will not enable discussions go on or if I really don’t permit you in, then I can’t get hurt’. I get it.

‘But it’s a defense resource. The Nick Kyrgios I realized was a truly sweet, authentic, sensitive particular person.’

Kyrgios performs a backhand in his 3rd spherical match in opposition to Mac Styslinger of the United States of America through working day ten of the 2011 Australian Open up

Element of the Kyrgios package is accepting that he is not likely to toe the line of convention, Morris mentioned. 

A large amount of angst has appear simply just because Kyrgios is exclusive and the rigid, standard entire world of tennis normally frowns on individuality.  

‘I assume a lot of folks would have tried out to control him and box him [in],’ Morris reported.

‘That’s not what he is about. He desires guiding and I believe that we guided him definitely very well. But it often had to be him. 

Kyrgios addresses the referee after a overturned line contact all through his match in opposition to Cristian Garin of Chile at Wimbledon 2022

‘Yes, you had to drag him in a very little little bit and set him back again on path, but he’s so particular and so one of a kind in who he is and what he delivers to the video game.

‘My favorite athlete of all time, with no problem, is Andre Agassi. We constantly used to say Nick is Agassi 2.. And of course, there were being factors that were being unsavoury which I failed to like but you can find a magnetism to him and a specific charisma about him.

‘There is this magic dust that you just really don’t want to contact. Just depart it be. Just allow it be due to the fact it’s bloody unique.’