Nick Kyrgios suffered a hilarious X-rated gaffe in his first appearance as a TV tennis commentator as he accidentally blurted out the word “sex” instead of “success”. The 28-year-old, who missed all four of this year’s Grand Slams through injury, made his Tennis Channel debut on Wednesday as Daniil Medvedev took on Alexander Zverev at the ATP Finals.
Kyrgios has become a crowd favourite on the tennis court and has made a name for himself due to his quirky and larger-than-life personality as well as a few wild outbursts. The Australian reached the Wimbledon final last year following a sensational run of form at the All England Club but was defeated by Novak Djokovic in a four-set thriller.
Kyrgios went on to progress to the quarter-finals of the US Open in 2022 but has been hit by a series of injury issues this year and has only featured in one tournament – the Stuttgart Open. And he has now decided to make the most of his diluted schedule by taking up a position in the commentary box.
Kyrgios is in the Tennis Channel studio in Los Angeles this week and lined up alongside Brett Haber to offer his tennis expertise as Medvedev defeated Zverev 7-6 6-4. And the tennis star was soon haunted by a faux pas.
“When you look at people who have had sex… success against Medvedev,” Kyrgios began. “You know [Carlos] Alcaraz, every time he plays against him he’s moving forward taking all those volleys, taking time away – it’s crucial.”
Haber was in no mood to allow the slip-up to pass without comment and replied: “Welcome to your first viral Tennis Channel moment, Nick. That was good.”
Kyrgios was unaware of what he had said and responded: “What happened?” And Haber explained: “We’ll replay it for you during the commercial.” But Kyrgios appeared to see the funny side as he ended the exchange by adding: “Oh I think I know – that’s hilarious.”
Medvedev’s victory over Zverev means he has booked a place in the semi-finals of the tournament, where he will take on Wimbledon champion Carlos Alcaraz. And ahead of the showdown, the Russian said: “I hope I play well. I’m ready to fight. This tournament is tricky. I’m into the semis from the first place, but you want to keep the rhythm.
“Against Carlos, especially if you play at 9pm, you don’t want to finish 7-6 in the third set at midnight. So I just hope I can show my best tennis and you guys can enjoy it.”
