What Now? With Trevor NoahNick Kyrgios is More Than a Tennis Star! - What Now? with Trevor Noah Podcast
EVERY SPOKEN WORD
80 min read · 16,287 words- 0:00 – 0:00
Intro
- TNTrevor Noah
[funky music]
- 0:00 – 5:47
Why tennis needs a disruptor: Kyrgios as the sport’s lightning rod
- TNTrevor Noah
Okay, I'm ready if you're ready.
- SPSpeaker
Yeah. Yeah, just a quick-
- TNTrevor Noah
Happy-
- SPSpeaker
Sorry. [laughs]
- TNTrevor Noah
Oh, okay. Yeah, go ahead. Go ahead.
- SPSpeaker
I really fucked that up. [paper crumpling]
- TNTrevor Noah
This is What Now? with Trevor Noah. Happy Nick Kyrgios Day, everybody.
- SPSpeaker
Happy Nick Kyrgios Day. Happy Nick Kyrgios Day.
- TNTrevor Noah
And you know, I was thinking about this. I was thinking about how sports have a personality. The sport is the way it is, and for a long time that's how the sport sees itself. So tennis is a perfect example, right? You have a sport where initially it was very calm, very rich English people wearing white clothes, and they would hit the ball to each other, and they would politely clap.
- SPSpeaker
[laughs]
- TNTrevor Noah
"Bravo, Michael. Bravo, bravo. Great job." And in every sport, there's always somebody who comes along who shakes things up. It's not just, like, who they are, but it's how they play. It's how the game sees them. It's how they see the game. You know, I think of it, in golf it was Tiger Woods, obviously, you know? I remember the f-
- SPSpeaker
Mm-hmm
- TNTrevor Noah
... the furor. Do you, do you remember how crazy people got when Tiger Woods did the fist pump after he won?
- SPSpeaker
[laughs]
- TNTrevor Noah
Like, people ... I remember that being a scandal in golf. People were like, "Is that, is that for golf? Should that be something that people do in go- I don't know if he should be ... This guy is ..." They, they made it seem like Tiger Woods, like, did a drive-by shooting on the golf course.
- SPSpeaker
I know nothing-
- TNTrevor Noah
I just want you to-
- SPSpeaker
... about golf, and that is absolutely burned into my brain, that image of him. And I know nothing about-
- TNTrevor Noah
Right?
- SPSpeaker
... that sport.
- TNTrevor Noah
And that's why he's so important to the sport, because Tiger Woods basically brought ... I mean, just l- let's put it this way. He brought a relative amount of swag to the game of golf.
- SPSpeaker
[laughs]
- TNTrevor Noah
He brought ... He's super swaggy for golf. Let's put it that way.
- SPSpeaker
Mm-hmm.
- TNTrevor Noah
And I think every sport has that person. They come in, and everyone who's, like, traditionalist, you know, complains about the person who comes in because of what they do. But Nick Kyrgios is that player in tennis.
- SPSpeaker
Hm.
- TNTrevor Noah
If you hate tennis or if you think it's boring, you love Nick Kyrgios. And if you love tennis, then you'll have an opinion on Nick Kyrgios, because this kid came into the game, and I, and I say kid purposefully because when, when Nick Kyrgios started playing tennis, he came in as a teenager. No one expected anything from him. He was playing in Australia. He didn't even play tennis from, like, the youngest age. Like, people normally start when they're, like, two years old. Nick didn't really do that. He didn't really focus on the game in the same way. He comes in. He's playing against Rafael Nadal, one of the greatest of all time, at one of the biggest tournaments ever. He beats him, and everyone in the world is like, "Wait, who's this kid?" And then he just proceeds to, like, play the game the way nobody has ever played it. I mean, like, he, like, hits the ball behind his back. He hits it through his legs. He'll, like ... And then also, he's, he's got a lot of personality, you know? I, I, I, I ... He reminds me in many ways of John McEnroe-
- SPSpeaker
Mm
- TNTrevor Noah
... but less rude. I know that sounds like a crazy thing to say about John McEnroe.
- SPSpeaker
[laughs]
- 5:47 – 8:27
Touchdown in Australia: NBA fandom, gaming obsession, and ‘sweat’ status
- NKNick Kyrgios
Nothing much. Just touched down back in Australia and spending time with some, uh, my fam. Haven't seen them in a little bit.
- TNTrevor Noah
Yeah.
- NKNick Kyrgios
And yeah, just, just, just chilling.
- TNTrevor Noah
You've been watching the, um, the, the NBA playoffs or the ... Well, not the playoffs. It's this weird in-season tournament.
- NKNick Kyrgios
In-season, in-season tournament.
- TNTrevor Noah
You been watching it?
- NKNick Kyrgios
Yep.
- TNTrevor Noah
Yeah.
- NKNick Kyrgios
Loved it. Yeah, watched it. Thought it was a great idea, great idea for the league
- TNTrevor Noah
It's funny, I saw, I saw, like, Kevin Durant, he said, um, he hated the idea when he first saw it come out.
- NKNick Kyrgios
Mm.
- TNTrevor Noah
And then even after he lost, he was like, "This was the most exciting tournament they've played in a long time."
- NKNick Kyrgios
Yeah, that tends to be how it is. I mean, athletes, we get pretty stuck in our ways, so a bit of... We don't like change, and then I guess, you know, when it, when it actually benefits the league that we find out, and it was, it was a good idea I think, though.
- TNTrevor Noah
Who's your team in the NBA? 'Cause I know you've always... You've been a huge fan-
- NKNick Kyrgios
Boston
- TNTrevor Noah
... for a long time.
- NKNick Kyrgios
Yeah. I'm a-
- TNTrevor Noah
Boston through and through?
- NKNick Kyrgios
I'm a, I'm a big Bo- yeah, big Boston guy. Like-
- TNTrevor Noah
Why Boston?
- NKNick Kyrgios
I watch every single game. Um, don't know. I just, in 2005 picked up my first video game and picked the Boston Celtics. Ever since then-
- TNTrevor Noah
[laughs]
- NKNick Kyrgios
... just been a religious fan.
- TNTrevor Noah
It's always interesting seeing how people become a fan of a team, you know? Um, I, I think I became a fan of many individual players in football because of like, um, you know, European football soccer-
- NKNick Kyrgios
Mm
- TNTrevor Noah
... because of video games, like playing FIFA.
- NKNick Kyrgios
Yeah. FIFA's-
- TNTrevor Noah
And then-
- NKNick Kyrgios
Phwoar.
- TNTrevor Noah
What are you, what are you playing right now? You, you said you, you, you video... You, you game-
- 8:27 – 10:42
How Kyrgios actually got into tennis (and why he hated it at first)
- TNTrevor Noah
Was there a tennis person you, you were a fan of when you got into the sport? 'Cause your story's interesting in that, like, it seems like from everything I hear about you, everything I've read about you, it doesn't seem like Nick Kyrgios was that into sport until he got into sport. Is this true, or is this just a myth?
- NKNick Kyrgios
Yeah. Yeah, I was... I didn't really like sport that much, um, growing up. But then I think my mum, you know, eventually saw I was pretty, I was pretty chubby and I wasn't active that much as a kid, and she was kind of like, "All right, let's, let's start doing some stuff." She just took me down to the local tennis center and I pr- fair to say I hated it. I didn't like tennis at all. And then, you know, I loved basketball. Fell in love with basketball.
- TNTrevor Noah
Yeah.
- NKNick Kyrgios
And then played both. Um, but I didn't really have any role models either growing up, like in the sporting world. Like I didn't really watch that much sport. Um, I was like big into video games. Um, actually took like my studies really seriously. And then, yeah, just had no real role models, and then I kind of fell in love with basketball players now as I was playing tennis, and they were two conflicting sports.
- TNTrevor Noah
Right.
- NKNick Kyrgios
And obviously I've been absolutely shredded for, you know, my personality or the way I go about things in tennis because it's a very-
- TNTrevor Noah
Yeah
- NKNick Kyrgios
... you know, in the box type of sport and, and yeah.
- TNTrevor Noah
Mm-hmm. Mm-hmm.
- NKNick Kyrgios
So I didn't really have any role models, but yeah, I guess that's been part of the journey, so it's been pretty cool though.
- TNTrevor Noah
Yeah, it's, it's an, it's an interesting journey to go on because like how does somebody get into a sport? How do they become good at the sport, and why that sport? Like I, I, I don't think people understand how unlikely it was for you to get into tennis, you know?
- NKNick Kyrgios
Yeah, it was very unlikely.
- TNTrevor Noah
You, you, you were what? 13, 14 when you got into the, into the sport?
- NKNick Kyrgios
Uh, I played at s- seven. Seven years old was my-
- TNTrevor Noah
Seven?
- NKNick Kyrgios
... when I picked up, when I picked up a racket, yeah.
- TNTrevor Noah
Oh, wow.
- NKNick Kyrgios
Yeah. Yeah, so it's basically my whole-
- TNTrevor Noah
Why, okay, why, why tennis?
- NKNick Kyrgios
... life, about 20 years.
- TNTrevor Noah
Did your mom, did your mom ever say, "Why tennis?"
- NKNick Kyrgios
Um, well, in Australia tennis is like one of our biggest sports. It's cricket and tennis. Um-
- TNTrevor Noah
What about Aussie Rules?
- NKNick Kyrgios
And then both of them-
- TNTrevor Noah
There was no, no Aussie Rules growing up or footy?
- NKNick Kyrgios
Yeah, I know, but I, I, I, I can't really... No.
- TNTrevor Noah
[laughs]
- NKNick Kyrgios
I can't, can't buy into a sport that's not played out of Australia. I, I don't know.
- TNTrevor Noah
[laughs]
- NKNick Kyrgios
I think it's a bit of a joke, to be honest, um, on the record. Um-
- 10:42 – 15:24
Pressure, class, and expectation: tennis as a route to provide
- TNTrevor Noah
What did you hate about the sport? What was the thing you hated most?
- NKNick Kyrgios
I just didn't like it. I just, I just didn't like... I, I just didn't feel... I never feel like I could express myself the way I wanted to, and then I realized that I could later on in my career and really sh- like shit stir people.
- TNTrevor Noah
Right.
- NKNick Kyrgios
Yeah, just look, I mean, look, I didn't really grow up with, like, you know, in a, in a rich family or anything. So I knew-
- TNTrevor Noah
Mm-hmm. Mm-hmm
- NKNick Kyrgios
... I, I was very soon to realize that it was a way to kind of, um, help my family and help my friends and, and provide for my people and, and, and build a life for w- far beyond my- myself. So that's when I realized that, you know, that that was the kind of journey that I had to kind of do. 'Cause like to say I would make it in NBA, I don't think I would. So it was just an easier, it was like an easier route for me, I guess, to, to make it out. [laughs]
- TNTrevor Noah
Did that, did that a- add a lot of pressure to it though? Like when you're playing a sport that's not just a sport, it's something that supports your family, can lift your family-
- NKNick Kyrgios
Yeah
- TNTrevor Noah
... out of the place they're in, I mean, that- doesn't that come with an extra amount of pressure that the other kids don't have?
- NKNick Kyrgios
Uh, definitely. I think for sure. But I, I, I guess the cool thing about my childhood is I didn't know any different. My mom and dad always made me feel like I had enough, and I had the, I had the best childhood. Like I didn't-
- TNTrevor Noah
That's great. Yeah
- NKNick Kyrgios
... know that I was, you know, didn't have a lot. Um, so... Uh, but I, I got hit with a lot of pressure and expectation early. As soon as I was 17, 18, I kind of broke onto the scene. That's when-
- TNTrevor Noah
Uh-huh
- NKNick Kyrgios
... I mean, Australia kind of put this, I mean, like the weight on my shoulders for an 18-year-old, I think. You know, to look back at it, I think I did pretty well, um, with dealing with it. But-
- TNTrevor Noah
Yeah
- NKNick Kyrgios
... it's not normal for someone that young to deal with the spotlight and the fame and, and, and the pressure, especially with social media and all this bullshit-
- TNTrevor Noah
Right, right, right
- NKNick Kyrgios
... that comes with it. It's like mental, mental, like y- People wonder why I am the way I am. I'm like, it just, the, my experiences of what I went through kind of, you know, made me a bit, like, my screws are a bit loose I think.
- TNTrevor Noah
I, you know, I, I always wonder that. I, I remember talking to, to some friends about this, about the age we grew up in and then the age that people grow up in now. And I was like-
- NKNick Kyrgios
Mm-hmm
- TNTrevor Noah
... do you ever think for, do you ever take for granted, you know, I remember when, like, Justin Bieber was blowing up. And-
- NKNick Kyrgios
Mm.
- TNTrevor Noah
I mean, Justin Bieber's obviously a lot younger than me, and you know, uh, and I, I would think to myself, I'd go, "We're judging this kid, but if you took away his fame, he's, he's a child." Do you know what I mean?
- NKNick Kyrgios
Yes.
- TNTrevor Noah
It was literally like it's news headlines about a child. And I would say to my friends-
- NKNick Kyrgios
Yeah, it's very strange
- TNTrevor Noah
... all the time, I go, "Do you remember the amount of shit that we would get up to at that age?" But there was no-
- NKNick Kyrgios
Yeah
- TNTrevor Noah
... there's no journalism. There's no reports are coming after you.
- NKNick Kyrgios
Yeah.
- 15:24 – 17:48
Effortless talent vs. not buying in: beating legends and rejecting the ‘rat race’
- TNTrevor Noah
Yeah. I, I remember having a conversation with, um, with Roger Federer about you. And it was actually, it was, um, Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal. Bill Gates was hosting a charity-
- NKNick Kyrgios
Yeah
- TNTrevor Noah
... tennis tournament in Cape Town in South Africa. And we, we're just chatting about the whole game, and your name came up. And man, I wish you could see the eyes of the players when they're talking about you. The, the one thing that Roger kept on saying, which was almost frustrating w- to him when he said it, was he's like, "This kid is effortless." He's like, "This guy does ... " He was like, "What Nick does in tennis when he's not trying is what all of us work our asses off to try to do." You, uh, like, do you, do you get that from the other athletes in the sport? 'Cause I mean, let's forget about the press and everybody for a moment. Like, people write out-
- NKNick Kyrgios
Mm-hmm
- TNTrevor Noah
... their asses all the time. Everybody thinks they know a sport from the outside. Everyone has opinions. But I always find if you want some of the truest opinions, you go into the sport.
- NKNick Kyrgios
Yeah.
- TNTrevor Noah
You talk to the people who actually do it every single day.
- NKNick Kyrgios
Definitely.
- TNTrevor Noah
And they'll give you a different understanding. Like, do, do, did you get that feeling from, from, from the other tennis pros that they felt like you came with something special just in the way you, the way you struck the ball, the way you understood the ball, the way you played the game?
- NKNick Kyrgios
Uh, yeah, definitely. I mean, I got told a lot from other athletes, and Roger, and stuff like, yeah, like, you know, past players were saying like, "Oh, he's the most talented." And then I guess, I don't know when I kind of lost ... I not, not lost interest, but I guess kind of just I didn't take it that seriously. I never really fully bought in, I think, to the process of, like, tennis being, like, really, really important. Like, I still-
- TNTrevor Noah
Yeah
- NKNick Kyrgios
... today sit here, and I don't think it's that important. Like, I know-
- TNTrevor Noah
It's not, it's not, it's not number one on your list, right?
- NKNick Kyrgios
It's not. It's just not. It's just, like, it, it's been a great vehicle for me to meet you, for instance, to meet all these beautiful people, all these cultures, and live this life, but I never really say, like, oh, like, I never, I'm not gonna introduce myself as, "Oh, I'm Nick Kyrgios, tennis player. I've done this, this, and this." Like, I just-
- TNTrevor Noah
Yeah, yeah, yeah
- NKNick Kyrgios
... never really thought it was that serious where ... And, like, you look at Roger, and Novak, and Nadal, like, I'm not saying they're doing it wrong. Like, they've bought into the process, and they've become, you know, champions and whatever. But I just think I'm just not that personality. Like, I love gaming. I love hanging out with my friends. I love feeling normal. I love going to get a coffee. Like, I love ... And then if I'm playing some pro tennis on the side, that's great. But, like, it's like I'm not willing to sacrifice these other things that make me really, really happy.
- 17:48 – 21:56
Race, belonging, and a mixed identity in a ‘white privileged’ sport
- TNTrevor Noah
You know, it's funny, you, you, you didn't just play tennis in, like, one of the whitest sports. You also grew up in one of the whitest countries.
- NKNick Kyrgios
Yes.
- TNTrevor Noah
Like, I've been to Australia a bunch doing shows.
- NKNick Kyrgios
Yeah.
- TNTrevor Noah
I think Australia's one of the most fun countries I've ever been to.
- NKNick Kyrgios
It's amazing, yeah.
- TNTrevor Noah
But damn, Australia doesn't know how to talk about race-
- NKNick Kyrgios
No, no
- TNTrevor Noah
... or anything that is not, like, stock standard white Australian.
- NKNick Kyrgios
They're, they're pretty racist down here.
- TNTrevor Noah
[laughs]
- NKNick Kyrgios
They are. You can, you can just say it. Like, it's okay. You, you were just, like, like, working around me-
- TNTrevor Noah
I'm not gonna be that guy, man
- NKNick Kyrgios
... talking. Yeah, I know, you were just, like, working around it.
- TNTrevor Noah
I'm not gonna be, I'm not gonna go out there and just-
- NKNick Kyrgios
I was like, "They're racist"
- TNTrevor Noah
... like, "No, no, no. No, no." Hey, man, it's not my country to say that about.
- NKNick Kyrgios
It is very-
- TNTrevor Noah
You know?
- NKNick Kyrgios
I'll tell you. I'll tell you firsthand, I've dealt with it It's fine. It's horri- it's horrific down here
- TNTrevor Noah
Have you seen a change over the years?
- NKNick Kyrgios
I think it's getting worse. Um, I think-
- TNTrevor Noah
Whoa
- NKNick Kyrgios
... it's getting worse everywhere, to be honest. Um, I don't know. The world, the world frustrates me. The world frustrates me.
- TNTrevor Noah
In what way?
- NKNick Kyrgios
They're just... Everyone's just trying to just split everyone up. Like, humans actually are capable of doing some good things when they work together, but no one wants to work together for some reason. Everyone's just putting-
- TNTrevor Noah
Yeah
- NKNick Kyrgios
... each other down. Everyone's just-
- TNTrevor Noah
I, I, I agree with a lot of that
- NKNick Kyrgios
... yeah, everyone's just trying to, like, separate everyone. It's either this or that. It's like, why can't people-
- 21:56 – 26:52
A team-sport heart stuck in an individual sport: doubles, loneliness, and the grind
- TNTrevor Noah
We're gonna continue this conversation right after this short break. [upbeat music] I, I remember watching you at, um, at, at a, at a tennis tournament once.
- NKNick Kyrgios
Mm-hmm.
- TNTrevor Noah
And I was watching you play, and I was chatting to a friend of mine, and he was like, "Why do you think Nick doesn't like tennis?" And I remember the, there was a, there was a really cool interview that I saw once, uh, it was a Tottenham Hotspur football player, right, in England.
- NKNick Kyrgios
Yeah.
- TNTrevor Noah
And he was, I think he was left back or right back at the time, and his name, his name slips m- my mind, but I will never forget. They were interviewing him about the game and he said, "Oh, I, I don't watch," he said, "I don't watch football." He said, "I don't watch football."
- NKNick Kyrgios
Yeah.
- TNTrevor Noah
"I don't care about football. I don't have a favorite team. This is just what I do for, for a job."
- NKNick Kyrgios
Yeah.
- TNTrevor Noah
And, and the, the people were almost offended. They were like, "How can you say that? You play in the Premier League. This is amazing."
- NKNick Kyrgios
Yeah.
- TNTrevor Noah
And he said, he said, "Hey, w- w- was your dad a fan of the company he worked for?" He's like-
- NKNick Kyrgios
Yeah, true
- TNTrevor Noah
... "Was your dad a fan of the job? Was your mom a fan of the place where she worked?" He's like, "That's, it's my job. I get some people have it as a passion, but it's my job." And, and when we were watching you play, I said to my friend, "Just watching you and your vibe," I said, "I feel like Nick Kyrgios is a team player stuck in an individual sport."
- NKNick Kyrgios
Yeah, I feel, uh-
- TNTrevor Noah
That's what I feel sometimes when I watch you.
- NKNick Kyrgios
Yeah. I mean, I, I lo- I, I grew up playing basketball. I love, I much prefer team sports, team environments big time. I love losing together and winning together and having that camaraderie and being on the road and all that. I, I much-
- TNTrevor Noah
Right
- NKNick Kyrgios
... prefer it more than, like... And I, people are like, "Yeah, but what about when you win?" I'm like, "Yeah, it feels good," but I just, like, I prefer to just be my m- I don't know. I'm just a big team guy. I don't know what it is, but that's just me. Like, I can't... Tennis players-
- TNTrevor Noah
You, you can see it-
- NKNick Kyrgios
... are really selfish
- TNTrevor Noah
... you can see it when you, when you played in the doubles. I mean, it seemed like-
- NKNick Kyrgios
Yeah, yeah, more passionate
- TNTrevor Noah
... you had more fun playing doubles-
- NKNick Kyrgios
Yeah
- TNTrevor Noah
... than you've ever had playing singles.
- NKNick Kyrgios
Yeah, yeah, big time. I love playing doubles. Much, a b- bit less pressure, but at the same time, I just feel like it's more rewarding to do s- do it with someone else. Um, yeah, I just love, I love doubles, man. Doubles is a lot of fun.
- TNTrevor Noah
Did you, did you grow up with, with, uh, with your siblings? How many siblings do you have?
- NKNick Kyrgios
Yeah, I got, uh, two older siblings. Um, yeah, we grew up together. Yeah.
- TNTrevor Noah
Right. I, I sometimes wonder if it's that. You know, I, I, I talk to a lot of athletes, and especially athletes in the, in the individual sports. The ones who grew up as only children Almost didn't mind being in an individual sport because that was the only-
- NKNick Kyrgios
Mm
- 26:52 – 30:22
Mental health breaking point: dark periods, coping, and choosing purpose over grind
- TNTrevor Noah
Yeah, no. Look, I think everything in life has a, has a blessing and a curse attached to it, you know? Um, I remember there was a time in stand-up comedy when, as comedians, we, we would talk a lot about this backstage. Comedy, I would say before social media and, and in many moments, comedy was a really lonely, and it can be a very lonely, um, you know, profession in that we're on the road. Uh, when you start off, you're by yourself. You know, you just, you've got a bag. You fly to some random place somewhere in the world. You do comedy there for a week, and then you fly somewhere else. It's, it's similar to tennis just, you know, the, the not, the crowds aren't the same. And there was a period where a lot of comedians were committing suicide, and we'd always, we'd always hear these stories.
- NKNick Kyrgios
Yeah.
- TNTrevor Noah
You'd be like, "Yo, did you hear about Mike? What happened?" It'd be like, "Yeah, Mike, Mike committed suicide in a hotel in some random place in the world." And it was always, like, the same sad story. On the road by themselves, and then, you know, that was it. That was the last time we'd hear of, of, of that comedian.
- NKNick Kyrgios
Mm.
- TNTrevor Noah
And we would talk about this, and we'd say it's such a solitary experience. It's such a solitary existence, and at some point you go, "What am I even doing this for?" You know? And, and, and when ... I've, I've seen you've been very public about, like, the mental aspect of the game and, uh, which I've appreciated, by the way. You know, yourself, Simone Biles, Naomi Osaka, it's like the first generation of superstar athletes who aren't afraid to say, "Hey, I put myself before the sport."
- NKNick Kyrgios
Yeah. I mean, it's, it's important because I was close to ... You know, I was in a very dark time, and I was close to ... You know, I was feeling the exact same way. I was like, "What am I doing this for?" Like, I hate ... Like, 'cause I was two completely different people. I was like Nick Kyrgios, and then I had to turn into someone else, and that was the only thing that people cared about, was that, was that Nick that I had to turn into.
- TNTrevor Noah
Mm.
- NKNick Kyrgios
You know? And, and that entertainer. And then when I was normal, no one gave a shit. So I was like, "This is tough." Like, I was like, "I g- I'm, I'm tired and I'm doing it week in, week out," and I was alone on the road. And I was like, I, you know, drinking, drugs, partying-
- TNTrevor Noah
Yeah
- NKNick Kyrgios
... and then being out-
- TNTrevor Noah
Yeah
- NKNick Kyrgios
... till, like, 5:00 AM, then playing the next day, and it was just like it was a big, dark depression that I was in, and no one ... Like, just because I was winning tennis matches, it seemed to just be okay. Everyone was like, "Okay, he's fine then."
- TNTrevor Noah
Yeah.
- NKNick Kyrgios
But I was like that's the, that's, that's, that's what's dangerous, is that people just will get up and continually go because they have to go, but they're really not okay. And then Naomi was the first kind of person that I was seeing taking time away from the sport. Like, she stepped away-
- TNTrevor Noah
Yeah
- NKNick Kyrgios
... from the French Open. Everyone was like, "Oh, how could you?" Like, "It's a privilege to be there." I'm like, bro, she earned her right to be in the French Open. If she doesn't wanna play for mental health, that's h- up to her. And then I was, I saw that and that opened my eyes. I was like, "Holy shit, someone's actually doing it."
- TNTrevor Noah
Wow.
- NKNick Kyrgios
And then ... 'Cause I was going through that for ages before she ca- for, before she did it. And then I told her, I was like, "You helped me because I don't ... Maybe if I kept going, like, I wouldn't be here right now," 'cause that's how bad it was. And then I've just now sh- completely shortened my schedule. I only play when I wanna play. I only do what I wanna do. And I was like ... And then I end up doing things with more purpose anyway. Like this interview, like, there was a time where I used to do this type, this type of stuff and hate what I was doing and ha- I, I never even enjoyed doing things like this, but now I'm doing everything with a purpose, and it end, ends up actually being-
- TNTrevor Noah
Actually saying
- NKNick Kyrgios
... more rewarding. So it's like athletes doing that, and it's ... When I reached out, when I put it on social media, the best thing about it is people still reach out to me today when they're just like, "Oh, can I, you know, have some advice?" And I get people's numbers, and I talk to them on the phone, and I WhatsApp.
- TNTrevor Noah
Oh, wow.
- NKNick Kyrgios
I don't even know these people, but-
- TNTrevor Noah
Wow
- NKNick Kyrgios
... I just help them, and it's like that's the coolest thing about it. Like, just opening up. I mean, I'm helping so many people.
- 30:22 – 42:34
Who helped—and who didn’t: isolation, locker-room check-ins, and seeking therapy
- TNTrevor Noah
Did you, did you have anyone that you leaned on, either inside or outside of the sport when you were going through it? Because y- you're this young kid who blows up. The world is on your shoulders.
- NKNick Kyrgios
Yeah.
- TNTrevor Noah
You are considered a professional w- I mean, before, you know, you're even an adult, really. Like, did you have-
- NKNick Kyrgios
Mm
- TNTrevor Noah
... anyone you leaned on? Was, was there anyone who really helped you through these tough times?
- NKNick Kyrgios
It was such a shock to the system, I think, for my family and my friends 'cause- No one had ever done something like I'd done.
- TNTrevor Noah
Yeah.
- NKNick Kyrgios
Like, it was just, it was just not heard of that anyone around where I'm from, like, blew up globally and did something. And it was just hard. And I di- I didn't have anyone.
- TNTrevor Noah
Mm.
- NKNick Kyrgios
They had no idea what I was going through. They had, you know, they was just like, "Oh, you're making good money, so that's it." It's just like, there was so much more stuff that came with it than that-
- TNTrevor Noah
Yeah
- NKNick Kyrgios
... that really affected me. 'Cause I was such a normal person. Like, I wasn't, like, I d- hate the fame. I hate all that sh- like, I hate it. I think it's a joke. Um, and I hated it. And then I had no one to kind of lean on, and then I, I, I had some people, like even Andy Murray in the locker room was like, "Bro, are you okay?" Like, I had some other people, like, kind of seeing, like, what I was going through. And then I-
- TNTrevor Noah
Yeah
- NKNick Kyrgios
... got, I seeked help and I just got myself out of it, to be honest. But I didn't really have ... And that was hard. That was really hard. I, I didn't feel ... Every time I've tried to confide in someone that I knew, they had no idea what I was going through. So it was really hard.
- TNTrevor Noah
When you were working with, um, Naomi Osaka-
- NKNick Kyrgios
Yep
- TNTrevor Noah
... uh, you know what? I saw a few clips of you guys going viral, y- you know, you and her talking a- about some aspects of the game.
- NKNick Kyrgios
Yep.
- TNTrevor Noah
She's somebody who I feel like has a natural connection with you for multiple reasons.
- NKNick Kyrgios
Yeah.
- TNTrevor Noah
You know, you're, you're both, you're both these professionals who came from worlds where you were mixed, where you almost always didn't fit in, but then found a place that you did fit in, but it wasn't necessarily your number one passion, but you're both amazingly good at it. When, when the two of you are together, like, what do you, what do you find Naomi brings out in you that you, you know, that maybe you haven't found when you, when you connected with other players early on in your career?
- NKNick Kyrgios
Yeah, just that she's really struggled to fit in, I think, the sport. Like I f- I find comfort when I, when I ... She was on, she was on my show as well.
- TNTrevor Noah
Yeah.
- NKNick Kyrgios
And we had a really good chat, and she's like, she had a lot of questions for me in that sense. She's like, "How do you deal with it? 'Cause, you know, you've had a lot of backlash." And I think we both just find that common ground in like we're be- we're so different in when we came into the sport, we were like the black sheep and, like, and we're just really trying to find our way, and we had a sea of fans.
- TNTrevor Noah
Mm-hmm.
- NKNick Kyrgios
But then we had a pe- sea of people that didn't like the way we went about things. And it was like she was, like, really, like, we both don't give enough credit to ourselves, I think. Like, she's won four Grand Slams. She's beaten everyone, and I'm like, "You do realize you've, you've achieved a lot." She's like, "Uh, like, I've achieved a little bit." And I'm like, we both-
- TNTrevor Noah
[laughs]
- NKNick Kyrgios
... really struggle to give ourselves credit. And-
- TNTrevor Noah
Yeah
- NKNick Kyrgios
... I think we just, we, we kind of find comfort in each other because it's like we, we're almost ... Yeah, we're like, I feel like if I had a comparison in the, on the women's tour, it would be her. You know, I haven't achieved anything-
- 42:34 – 43:40
The ‘bad boy’ label and the media narrative: five seconds define four hours
- TNTrevor Noah
Y- y- let's go back to, um, you know, when you were saying y- you, you were painted of this, as this bad boy. I would love to know how do you feel about the title bad boy? Do you like it? Because from the outside-
- NKNick Kyrgios
No
- TNTrevor Noah
... sometimes people ... No, you don't.
- NKNick Kyrgios
No, I don't like it because it's like a reputation that I've had to kind of, like- Fight against my entire life
- TNTrevor Noah
Mm-hmm
- NKNick Kyrgios
... just like every time I meet a n- like a person or go out in public or, you know, for instance my partner, when I, when I met her she thought I was arrogant, she thought I was maniacal, she thought I was, like, volatile. She thought I was, like, yeah, just like a bad person. And I was like, "I've just been fighting against this reputation my entire life, and I'm actually the exact opposite." Like, I don't take myself seriously at all. I'm literally the calmest person you've ever met.
- TNTrevor Noah
Yeah.
- NKNick Kyrgios
I'm very low maintenance. Like, I'm selfless. I'm not selfish at all, like every tennis player is. Like, I'm like... And it's, it's been hard. Like, people don't even hear me out, and it's just like, it's... I hate it because it's like [laughs] it's- it's- it's- it's- it's been tough, definitely. But of- unfortunately that's really the only Nick that they care about, so it's like, it's hard.
- 43:40 – 45:27
No coach for years: autonomy, skepticism, and athlete-first coaching philosophy
- TNTrevor Noah
Y- I- I don't know if you still do this, but I, I remember hearing once that you coached yourself. Is it, was that true?
- NKNick Kyrgios
Yeah. I haven't had a coach for, like, six, seven years now.
- TNTrevor Noah
Well, was- was- was part of that because you didn't want to be coached out of being yourself? Or was it just because you don't work well with a coach?
- NKNick Kyrgios
I guess I just think that my way's the best. And no one knows me as well as I do. Like, I'll, I'll hold myself accountable when I do something stupid.
- TNTrevor Noah
Mm-hmm.
- NKNick Kyrgios
No one knows my game the way I know my game. I know what I need to improve on. Um, I know what my strengths are. But also, it's just a waste of money, in my opinion. And like-
- TNTrevor Noah
[laughs]
- NKNick Kyrgios
... these, these coaches are, like, charging like 150 to 200 grand a year. I'm like, "For what?" Like, you stand there and like... Like, I do my own study. Like, I, I can just go to YouTube right now and, and, and look at every single per- every single player's strengths and weakness, study their game, watch hours of film and, and do all that side of things tactically. Um, I know what my t- my technique's absolutely fine. I can, like, I'm not gonna pay someone 200 grand-
- TNTrevor Noah
This is insane
- NKNick Kyrgios
... to just travel the world and just stand on court with me and just like, "Oh, you do this." Okay, that's 200 grand worth of fucking advice. Like-
- TNTrevor Noah
Yeah, yeah, yeah
- NKNick Kyrgios
... amazing. Hell no. Like, what the f- that's ridiculous
- TNTrevor Noah
Yeah, you see, this, but this is even crazier to me. The fact that you win anything is even, is even wilder to me now. 'Cause I'm just like you- you- you're an anomaly. You're a, you're a... People talk about a natural talent, but you are truly an anomaly. You, you can't play at the highest level of any sport without a court- a coach-
- NKNick Kyrgios
Yeah, you can, though
- TNTrevor Noah
... and do what you do.
- NKNick Kyrgios
You, you can. You can. You can. You can. You can
- TNTrevor Noah
You think so?
- NKNick Kyrgios
It's, it's, it's real- it's simple. Like, the biggest lie we've all been told, it's not that simple. It really is. It's, it's very simple.
- TNTrevor Noah
Feel like this is-
- NKNick Kyrgios
Yeah
- TNTrevor Noah
... Superman lifting a bus, being like, "It's not that hard. It's really not that hard."
- NKNick Kyrgios
No, it's, it's-
- TNTrevor Noah
"You just gotta lift with, you just gotta lift with your knees. You just gotta lift with your legs"
- NKNick Kyrgios
Yeah. [laughs] Maybe. I don't know.
- TNTrevor Noah
[laughs]
- 45:27 – 49:04
Injury, recovery, and decentering tennis: life beyond the schedule
- TNTrevor Noah
When, when, when, when Nick Kyrgios looks at his life apart from the game, I know, um... Are, are you still dealing with an injury now?
- NKNick Kyrgios
Yes. Yep.
- TNTrevor Noah
Yeah. Do, uh... When you, when you get these injuries, do you actually know when you're coming back, or is it all just speculation?
- NKNick Kyrgios
Um, it just depends what kind of injury it is obvi- obviously. Like, if it's a rolled ankle, you know, it's... But I've, you know, I've had some surgeries and I'm just trying to get back. There was a, you know, there w- I had a bit of a wrist thing, and it was kind of bothering my everyday life. Like, I couldn't go to the bathroom. I couldn't put salt on my steak. Like, it was getting to a point where I was like, okay, it was affecting my everyday life, and it wasn't even-
- TNTrevor Noah
Oh, damn
- NKNick Kyrgios
... about tennis. People were like, "Oh, how are you on the court?" I was like, "Dude, it didn't even, it wasn't even on the court." Like, I was, like, struggling to be without pain in my daily life just to get it done.
- TNTrevor Noah
Damn.
- NKNick Kyrgios
And now I don't really have, like, a timeline. You know, I'm just gonna come back. I, I feel like I've got so much stuff that I can focus on in the meantime-
- TNTrevor Noah
Yeah
- NKNick Kyrgios
... that it's just like I'm gonna do this right, take my time, come back whenever I want. I've got a protected ranking of 21, so I can come back and play whatever I want to play.
- TNTrevor Noah
Mm-hmm.
- NKNick Kyrgios
And that's it. Like, I'm gonna enjoy my life in the meantime. Like, and enjoy it, do my rehab and, and that's it. Like, I wouldn't be having this conversation with you probably if I was healthy at the moment. I'd be probably training and being a b-
- TNTrevor Noah
Because you'd be back out there doing your thing.
- NKNick Kyrgios
Yeah, but I'd be in a bad mood. I would be training, and I'd be miserable. And then I'd be like, "No, I'm not doing this call." Like, and now, do you know what I mean? So it's like-
- TNTrevor Noah
Yeah, yeah, yeah
- NKNick Kyrgios
... there's positives to everything.
- TNTrevor Noah
Yeah. I, I, I, I really wonder how long it's gonna take for us to get to the place where we acknowledge that athletes are human beings, and we don't own them in their entirety outside of the sport. 'Cause we're watching you perform the sport. You know? Like, that, that is the action, and there's this pervasive idea that athletes are owned off the court or, or off the field.
- NKNick Kyrgios
Yeah. Like, "You should be doing this."
- TNTrevor Noah
Like people-
- NKNick Kyrgios
"This, this."
- TNTrevor Noah
Yeah. You, we want you, we want you doing, we want you, we want you, we want you, we want you, we want you. And then as soon as you express emotion about being wanted, people are angry at you. They're like, "Oh, what do you mean he's tired? What do you mean he's not having a good day?"
- NKNick Kyrgios
Yeah. It's wild. Yeah. It's, it's, it's crazy, man. Like, [laughs] it's, yeah, you, you said it.
- TNTrevor Noah
Let's talk about a bit of, uh, like, just something like your personal life, like as, as Nick. You've, you've been really open and, and really vulnerable, which for me flies in the face of this idea of you being an asshole. You know? You-
- NKNick Kyrgios
Yep.
- TNTrevor Noah
To me, it seems like you are somebody who occasionally loses their temper or shows their emotion while playing a sport, which by the way, again, is normal-
- NKNick Kyrgios
It's normal
- TNTrevor Noah
... in most sports. But when you, when you force people to-
- NKNick Kyrgios
It's normal in life
- TNTrevor Noah
... wear, like, white, white shorts. Yeah. It is, actually.
- NKNick Kyrgios
We're not, we're, we're human, so aren't we supposed to feel? Do you know what I mean?
- 49:04 – 58:38
Connection, audience, and new platforms: ‘Good Trouble,’ social media, and OnlyFans strategy
- TNTrevor Noah
I think, I think, you know, with all the downsides as w- as we talk about, of, of the sport of tennis, I wonder if you have felt, 'cause I, I could just be projecting this incorrectly, but obviously there are downsides to social media. Did you start to find a level of connection with people because of social media? Like, did you start to realize that Nick Kyrgios was touching hearts and minds all over the world in a way that you weren't aware of when you started playing?
- NKNick Kyrgios
Definitely. And I think that's, [coughs] that's what I'm doing now. Like, I've actually... Funny you said it. Like, I'm starting my show called Good Trouble. I sit down one-on-one with some really interesting people, like I've done Mike Tyson, Gordon Ramsay, Gary Vee, Jay Shetty. And, you know, they're all getting edited now, but I, I f- was filming that when I was in LA. And it's like we sit down intimately, and I didn't realize that I would be able to interview these people, first of all.
- TNTrevor Noah
Right. Right
- NKNick Kyrgios
And social media was the biggest link of that. And then obviously tennis, if I wasn't good at tennis, I wouldn't have even had the, you know, the, the, the platform to do it. But, like, I've sat down with these people, these amazing entrepreneurs, athletes, chefs-
- TNTrevor Noah
Yeah
- NKNick Kyrgios
... like, and I'm like-
- TNTrevor Noah
Yeah
- NKNick Kyrgios
... they all seem to have, like, the same sort of... They're like, they do things with purpose. They've come from a super r- like super hard background. They've like, they're never satisfied, like, ever.
- TNTrevor Noah
Mm-hmm.
- NKNick Kyrgios
They're always like, "I, I achieved something, I gotta do, I do more." And I'm like, when I speak to these people, I'm like, I sit there and I'm like... I did Rainn Wilson, by the way, and he, we chatted about, like, the comedy scene and people, you know, there was a lot of suicides. So when you were saying that-
- TNTrevor Noah
Yeah. Yeah
- NKNick Kyrgios
... I was like, it was, it was, it was pretty fresh in my mind. But, like, I was just like, "How the hell is Nick Kyrgios sitting down here interviewing these people?" And I'm like, my life with the social media and stuff, like I'm, I'm a, like I, I, I hated it. But then I'm like, dude, there's so many cool things that come from it. Like even this-
- TNTrevor Noah
Yeah
- NKNick Kyrgios
... for instance, like it's, it's, it's, it's pretty powerful stuff, but I think you gotta use it in the right way, definitely, 'cause there's a lot of junk on it as well.
- TNTrevor Noah
It's interesting you've said it twice, and it says something to who you are, but, like, the fact that you say, "How is Nick Kyrgios in this situation? How is Nick Kyrgios speaking to that?" Do you ever acknowledge the fact that, like, people are thinking that about you?
- NKNick Kyrgios
No.
- TNTrevor Noah
You know? Yeah, it's funny that you don't ever think that about yourself-
- NKNick Kyrgios
No
- TNTrevor Noah
... at all, at all, at all.
- NKNick Kyrgios
No. No. I just think it's weird that people wanna talk to me. It's very weird. [laughs] It's fucking weird.
- TNTrevor Noah
[laughs] Don't go anywhere, 'cause we got more What Now? after this. [upbeat music] Um, when you're playing, this is something I've always wanted to know, just as, as a selfish r- you know, for, for me, completely selfishly. How much does it affect you when, like, the fans or the people in the crowd are, like, talking or not talking?
- NKNick Kyrgios
So annoying.
- TNTrevor Noah
Like, do you... Really?
- NKNick Kyrgios
So as, it- look, it's the timing of it. Like-
- TNTrevor Noah
Yeah
- NKNick Kyrgios
... if you wanna come to a tennis game and cheer and be loud, like New York is so loud, in Arthur Ashe Arena it's so loud. But like-
- TNTrevor Noah
Yeah
- NKNick Kyrgios
... for instance at Wimbledon or, like, at Oz Open or, and then when it, or, or, or, or moments where you have to be quiet, like, it's, like, between first or second serves or, like, in the middle of the point. Like, you can't... People, I think they just don't realize that, like, a little, especially in tennis, like, one point can change the whole momentum of the match. Like, the-
- TNTrevor Noah
Yeah
- NKNick Kyrgios
... scoring system isn't like, like a basketball game or a soccer game.
- 58:38 – 1:05:54
Presence and partnership: love, boundaries, and leaving tennis on his own terms
- TNTrevor Noah
One, one, one aspect I definitely wanna touch on before, before I let you go is, is your relationship. You, you've been really open and, and it seems like you give a lot of credit to, to your partner for how she, like, how she's helped you in your life. You've talked about her getting you out of the darkest moments, how she sees you when other people don't. I remember watching her at Arthur Ashe, if I'm not mistaken. It was like... And, like, seeing how she sort of felt for you in some of the moments on the game.
- NKNick Kyrgios
Yeah.
- TNTrevor Noah
Sometimes, in the game, sometimes-
- NKNick Kyrgios
Yeah
- TNTrevor Noah
... it even felt like you were just playing in front of her. It wasn't even about the rest of us. What, what's-
- NKNick Kyrgios
Yeah
- TNTrevor Noah
... what has that relationship meant to you and, and, um, and how easy is it to be in a relationship when you're in the position that you're in?
- NKNick Kyrgios
Oh, I mean, first of all, being in a relationship in my per- like in Alf, I guess in e- in anyone that's kind of in the limelight, it's not easy at all. Like, it's, it's really hard. You know, there's a lot of eyes on your relationship. There's a lot of people that have-
- TNTrevor Noah
Mm-hmm
- NKNick Kyrgios
... their opinions, and on social media they're commenting this or that. Like, a lot of garbage that gets kinda fueled into it.
- TNTrevor Noah
Yeah.
- NKNick Kyrgios
And then, like, obviously-
- TNTrevor Noah
Yeah
- NKNick Kyrgios
... you know, following and liking and all this and, you know-
- TNTrevor Noah
Mm-hmm
- NKNick Kyrgios
... I think the best thing about my relationship is that we have really nice, re- really good boundaries, and we both respect it. And we, we know that trust is really the only currency you have in a relationship. And once you break it, I think it's, it's really hard to... Especially in the limelight, once it's a little bit broken, it's, it's really too hard to fix, but-
- TNTrevor Noah
Mm-hmm
- NKNick Kyrgios
... she's just present.
- TNTrevor Noah
Mm-hmm.
- NKNick Kyrgios
I think that's one thing that I say about my girlfriend now. She's just present, and she knows the whirlwind of my life. Like, when I travel and when I'm in the spotlight, and when I'm dealing with negativity or positivity, and I'm winning and I'm stressed, like, she's just there. Like, I just, like, I play on the biggest stadiums in the world and I get back to the little hallway, and she's just waiting there, and she's like, "Yeah, you did really well." And it's like she just sits there and she's just like, "I'm proud of you." And, you know, we go home and we'll make food together. It's just like I love just the simplest of things. Like, I don't need anything. It's like just be present for me.
- TNTrevor Noah
Mm-hmm.
- NKNick Kyrgios
Because, like, in the whirlwind of my life and the shit storm, I just wanna come home to a nice, calm environment where we can talk and just relax. And I don't wanna talk about tennis, just like, "What are you doing today?" Or, "What are we doing?" I just love that.
- TNTrevor Noah
Yeah.
- NKNick Kyrgios
And I think that that's just-
- TNTrevor Noah
Yeah, just who are you as a human being?
- NKNick Kyrgios
Like, I know it's not easy. Like, I'm not easy to be with. Like, there's a lot of shit that comes with me and I've-
- TNTrevor Noah
Yeah
- NKNick Kyrgios
... got a lot of baggage and I've got a lot of spotlight. And people don't, like, I know pe- not everyone wants that. It's not fun all the time. And I think my girlfriend now, she's just really part of... She's just, yeah, she's just present. She just rides the waves, like, and she's really good to travel with. That is the biggest thing, and that's how you know if she's the one or not. If you can travel with your partner- And not lose your shit at them with like delayed flights-
- TNTrevor Noah
Right
- NKNick Kyrgios
... or shitty hotels.
Episode duration: 1:05:54
Install uListen for AI-powered chat & search across the full episode — Get Full Transcript
Transcript of episode mSvR-SEUJg8
