By Scoop Malinowski
Reilly Opelka slammed the tennis media as “awful, the worst” earlier this year and now another high profile ATP champion has also unleashed another harsh criticism against the lousy element of the tennis media.
Nick Kyrgios lost his match this week in Montreal to Hubert Hurkacz in three sets and unloaded some choice words for the reporters who attended his post match press conference: “As for media, I couldn’t care less. I do this because I have to be here and I don’t want to get fined, so… I mean, it’s routine. I don’t really enjoy it, to be honest. I’d rather not be here right now.”
The methods of the tennis media are not impressing the players in any way, shape or form. At the AO press conference for Kokkinakis and Kyrgios, one obscenely rude reporter even asked the new Grand Slam doubles champions a question about touching each other’s butts off court. This lousy, rotten reporter was not punished or even admonished publicly for such a disgusting, classless, unprofessional comment.
Remember, after every tournament, every champion always thanks the ballboys, sponsors, their teams, family, tournament directors, etc. but to my knowledge not one single WTA or ATP champion has ever publicly verbally thanked the tennis media.
I know and have witnessed Grigor Dimitrov does say thank you to reporters after his press conferences but he is a lone exception. I’d estimate the majority of ATP and WTA tennis players view tennis reporters as lousy, annoying, fake news agenda pushing, political activists who could barely hit three balls over the net.
Marcelo Rios once called the tennis media “parasites who live off the talent of the players.”
At this point in time, it’s fairly obvious and clear, the methods of the tennis media need to be changed drastically. Because when champion players like Opelka and Kyrgios are publicly humiliating and embarrassing the tennis media, it’s a very, very bad sign that things are wrong and changes must be made ASAP.
ATP · media · Montreal · Nick Kyrgios
Cyndy · August 14, 2022 at 10:41 am
Kyrgios says it like it is Scoop Malinowski and I’d say good for him as no one has actually spoken to the media in post match interviews like he does. And it does seem that the media always has it their way and as you said nobody does ever check on them. So a player’s answers can get blown out of proportion or go any which way depending on whether to tarnish or not but the media can ask or say almost anything (Kokkinakis/Kyrgios on the butt touching questions by that ‘rude’ reporter), and gets away with it .. you’re right no checks, questions nothing. There should be a rule book for media too in post match interviews with clear guidelines as to how questions should be framed and what can or cannot be permitted. Something for the WTA and ATP organisers to think about and oh maybe for grand slams it could be tweaked further. It’s not fair at times that some of the players pay hefty fines and the media don’t get any slapped on them. Like they are literally getting away with it in broad daylight.
Scoop Malinowski · August 14, 2022 at 6:27 pm
Cyndy, It’s such a waste of time and energy for Nick to answer the silly questions of most reporters. In all the press conferences he’s done, wonder if he read five very good articles about himself in his career. Then even worse, he’s probably on the defensive because he knows some reporters are trying to set him up with a trap question. I’ve sat through hundreds of press conferences and most seem a waste of time. Cliche questions, cliche answers. I remembers Maria Sharapova even said she doesn’t even think about her answers anymore, she just goes on auto pilot and gives the routine cliche answer, no thinking involved at all. What a veiled insult to tennis reporters. I think there needs to be a major overhaul regarding player/reporter relations and accessibility. When you have players publicly humiliating the tennis media like Opelka and Nick did, something is very very wrong.
Scoop Malinowski · August 14, 2022 at 6:29 pm
Reminder, here is what some athletes told me and my bosses about my work, my questions….
“You ask great questions.” — Chris Evert, Tennis Hall of Famer
“Damn good questions…” — Gordie Howe
“These are great questions.” –George Foreman, Former Heavyweight champion
‘That’s the most interesting interview I ever did.” –Richard Williams, Tennis coach
“That’s the best interview I ever did. You can put that in there too.” –Troy Polamalu, Pittsburgh Steelers
“What is this? Some kind of offbeat psychological profile?” – Jim Boeheim, Syracuse Basketball coach
“That’s actually the best interview I ever did.” — Brian Lee, Tampa Bay Lightning defenseman
“I was very impressed with the “Olympic Biofile” on page forty-one (41)…I can tell you articles like Biofile are like “gold” to aspiring young people.” – Mal Whitfield, former US Olympic gold medalist in track & field in a letter to Olympian Magazine.
“These are the best questions I’ve been asked all day.” — NASCAR driver Tony Stewart, after an auto racing reporter mocked my Biofile questions at a NASCAR media event at the Waldorf-Astoria in New York City
Cyndy · August 14, 2022 at 10:13 pm
Scoop Malinowski., nice to see the answers by some of the players and I do appreciate you for sharing that. One does get a sense of satisfaction and probably fulfilment from the players side instead of having to listen to tense cringeworthy barbs from both sides of the fence. Once again thanks for putting them on here., can see the difference most surely.
Cyndy · August 15, 2022 at 6:09 am
Scoop Malinowski… on the Nadal front… last time during Roland Garros the public were getting constant updates on his ‘foot injury’ and whether each and every match played would be his last or not…. But he went in to lift the title trophy…. Now onto the upcoming USOpen., the general public are hearing a new (kinda since it was already identified during the Wimbledon period) word …’ abdominal issue ‘ , ….so no mention of the foot pain etc etc that’s mightily healed itself looks to be….Kyrgios had complained of having abdominal discomfort during his last match with Hurkacz at Montreal which he lost partly due to it. Just saying!
Scoop Malinowski · August 15, 2022 at 6:58 am
Cyndy, I think the foot injury was a total hoax fraud, it should be worse now on hard court but it’s perfect. No limp now, no limp then. I think the ab was a fake too otherwise he would have quit the Fritz match. The determination was made that Rafa could not beat Nick and Novak back to back so they quit. If Nadal had someone like Garin in the SF and Norrie in the final, there is zero chance Rafa would have withdrew, zero chance. He IMO was afraid to take his chances vs Nick and Novak on grass.
Scoop Malinowski · August 15, 2022 at 7:02 am
Thanks Cyndy, always happy to share what I can here.
Cyndy · August 15, 2022 at 11:19 am
Exactly! Exactly! Scoop Malinowski on the likes of Garin(SF) and Norrie(F). Next Cincy on….full steam ahead! I just saw that the coach of Schwartzman had the words “Cy(the y shaped like a tennis racket!)ncy!
Cyndy · August 15, 2022 at 11:22 am
Oh the word was on the hat he was wearing 🙂
Scoop Malinowski · August 15, 2022 at 5:25 pm
Cyncy is a good tourney Cyndy ) Not surprised Murray beat Stanimal but it was a marathon, Stan is finished and ranked almost 400 now. For Murray to struggle mightily may mean he’s at the end too.