Nick Kyrgios thinks his run to the Wimbledon final can inspire youngsters who have been 'outcast' or plagued by 'negative headlines'.
The controversial Australian will head onto Centre Court to face Novak Djokovic on Sunday afternoon just one win from a first ever Grand Slam title. It follows an explosive fortnight for Kyrgios at SW19, with his impressive form tainted by controversy.
He was fined for spitting towards a spectator during his first-round win over Paul Jubb, and was also hit with a financial penalty following his fiery third-round match with Sterfanos Tsitsipas. However, his often mercurial play helped him through to the final four, where he was given a walkover due to an injury to Rafael Nadal.
On Saturday, the Canberra-man took to Instagram to seemingly remind fans of where he'd come from. Having suffered to control his weight as a youngster, he posted a picture of himself as a child on a tennis court, along with a laughing emoji and the caption 'Wimbledon finals'.
Explaining the image to reporters, he referred to an American television character by saying: "I think that's just a strong message for any kid who doubts himself. Just keep going. Look at that photo, I literally look like Manny from Modern Family."
But the 27-year-old thinks his own story can help those affected by adversity: "I grew up in Canberra, the courts I trained on were horrible, and now I'm in the Wimbledon final," he continued. "I think it's honestly an inspiration for any kid who's kind of been outcast or just surrounded by negative headlines or just being brought down from a lot of different angles."
His Instagram post received ample support, with @princepessa_m replying: "We love you Nick. Don’t listen to the detractors. You’ve got this!" while @varunrk_04 joked: "From Thick Kyrgios to Nick Kyrgios."
@ichoosemaximillian added: " Lost that weight but winning that trophy," while @heming_hu21 wrote: " Like if this guys gonna take the title." Indeed, the image racked up more than 413,000 likes within 24 hours of being posted.
Kyrgios will undoubtedly start as the underdog against top seed Djokovic, who dashed the hopes of Britain's Cameron Norrie in his semi-final as he came from a set down to prevail. The Serbian is chasing a seventh Wimbledon crown, and 21st Grand Slam title in all.
The pair have been considered bitter rivals in the past, with Kyrgios regularly taking aim at the all-time great. Indeed, in 2021 he described him as a 'tool' after Djokovic asked for Covid restrictions to be relaxed ahead of the Australian Open.
But just a year later, ahead of the same tournament, he was one of the few to speak up for the former world No 1 during the explosive visa saga which saw Djokovic deported out of Victoria before the event began. And this week, Kyrgios even suggested the duo now shared a 'bromance' and regularly shared messages.
"We definitely have a bit of a bromance now, which is weird, you know," he told reporters: "I think everyone knows there was no love lost for a while there but I think it was healthy for the sport."
