Bad boys of tennis

Last month saw Nick Kyrgios reach his maiden Grand Slam final, where he lost in four sets to Novak Djokovic. 

However, his antics through the proceeding rounds of arguing points and line calls, spitting in the direction of fans as well as accusing the referee of ‘financial bias’ set him apart from the other players. His opponent in the quarter-final, Stefanos Tsipitas even appeared to lose control of his emotions, wacking the ball into the stadium clock and also against Kyrgios to win the point, no doubt through annoyance and frustration at the Aussie’s behaviour. 

While some people think he’s a breath of fresh air and others find him an absolute disgrace to the sport, it had me thinking that surely tennis always needs a bad boy or pantomime villain which we either love or hate. After all there have been a few in the past whose notoriety on the court wasn’t always for the right reasons. 

Step forward my personal favourites, starting with Ilie Nastase.

The mid 70s saw the arrival of Ilie ‘Nasty’ Nastase, who set the standard for which others are measured today. He’s probably best remembered for his frequently bizarre and rude behaviour where on occasion he would walk off the court, resulting in fines, suspensions, and even disqualifications. Reportedly in one match, when he got mad at the crowd, he revealed a T-shirt under his regular shirt to reveal a picture of the infamous middle finger. 

Jimmy Connors

Eight-time Grand Slam winner Jimmy Connors won a record 109 titles and regularly argued with umpires. In 1977, he even refused to take part in a parade of former champions to mark Wimbledon’s centenary and was booed when he went out to play the following day. He was recognised for regularly being foul-mouthed, swearing at umpires and even the fans when things weren’t going his way.

John McEnroe

The original bad boy of tennis, John McEnroe was nicknamed “superbrat”. He upset the Wimbledon committee so much that he was denied club membership despite winning the title in 1981 – the first winner to be treated that way. That year he unleashed his famous “You cannot be serious!” tirade against the umpire over a disputed line call on court one. He repeatedly smashed rackets on tour and was even disqualified from the Australian Open. 

Goran Ivanisevic

Goran Ivanisevic is best known at Wimbledon for his extraordinary 2001 triumph as a wild card, when he beat Tim Henman in a rain-interrupted five-set semi-final. But Goran certainly knew how to behave badly on court too. He holds the rare accolade of being the first tennis player to forfeit a match because he had run out of rackets, by smashing them.

Jeff Tarango

Kyrgios’s antics don’t compare with Jeff Tarango, when in 1995, things quickly escalated with the French umpire during a third-round match. Tarango lost the first set on a tie-break and was serving early in the second when he exchanged words with spectators. The umpire gave the American a warning at which point Tarango accused him of being the most “corrupt official in tennis” before storming off court and promptly being disqualified. In a match with Michael Chang, Tarango also once dropped his shorts on court.

“Bad Boys Bad Boys… watcha gonna do…?” For me a refreshing face of tennis…unpredictable, controversial and compulsive viewing.