The modern version of tennis puts immense pressure on the players. On the court, players are expected to give their best while off it, they are expected to deal with the barrage of questions thrown at them by the media. Recently, Australian star Nick Kyrgios and legendary player Billie Jean King were involved in a conversation about media propagating negativity and hate.

Going down the memory lane, the two have undoubtedly had numerous media interactions. In such instances, what has been noticeable is the difference in dealing with the difficult questions by the two of them.

Nick Kyrgios and Billie Jean King on dealing with media

Recently, the two took part in a candid conversation in an interview that also featured Naomi Osaka and Mardy Fish. During the conversation, Kyrgios picked up the topic of how the media now is different from what it was back during Billie Jean King’s time. Putting forward his point, the Aussie player started by saying, “I think with the media now though, they know what sells.”

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Talking about the media interactions of Billie Jean King, one can recall a pleasant and calm player, wearing specs, taking every question with utmost grace. Having the same attitude to date, King responded by a simple cross question saying, “Yeah, but who cares?”

Kyrgios is known to have some of the strongest opinions on the tour. In order to put his point in a better way, he further explained, “…they were working with you more. So they give you the voice. But then they would literally just walk into the media room.”

Recalling her days, King replied to Kyrgios saying, “Oh the Tabloids were horrible to us.” “I know it’s different with social media thing,” she further added.

The problems faced by Kyrgios during media interactions

Nick Kyrgios is rightly one of the most popular players on the tour. However, his short temper often becomes the reason for him being criticized.

Continuing the conversation, he asserted, “Not being positive really sells right now.”

In an attempt to find solutions to Kyrgios’ problems, King said, “Maybe that’s what you should talk about when you go. That’s what I used to do.”

To which Kyrgios replied, “Yeah, but sometimes I can’t control that. I actually give a good press conference, and I might not even say anything negative. But that’s what gets shown.”

King gets into the shoes of Kyrgios

By this time, the candid conversation had taken an intense turn. On one hand, Kyrgios was on his point that media isn’t good to the players. On the other hand, King was asserting that it is up to the players how they handle it.

Going ahead in the conversation, King admitted, “I’m trying to think if I were in your shoes. What would help me get through this because I still think I have an obligation to talk to the press.”

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Replying to King, the 2022 Australian Open men’s doubles winner said, “I think they just don’t care about our well-being.”

Learning about Kyrgios’s concern, the 39-time Grand Slam winner questioned back Kyrgios asking, “How do you know what they feel though? Have you talked to them?”

Nick Kyrgios is often criticized for his unruly behavior like smashing racquets and arguing with the officials. Replying to King with one such incident, Kyrgios said, “Here’s an example. So I played in Cincinnati and I lost, snapped a couple of racquets, as you said you did in locker room. Then for three days all on Tennis Channel was like, I had mental issues. How am I supposed to avoid that?”

King ended the intense debate by saying, “Well, I would say I do have mental issues.”

Do you think the media is being overtly harsh on the current generation of tennis players? Let us know your thoughts in the comments.