Nick Kyrgios 'lands eye-catching new role at Wimbledon' weeks after being dropped by the BBC and hitting out at decision as 'very strange'
Nick Kyrgios has reportedly landed a new role at Wimbledon after being dropped from the BBC 's coverage and branding the decision 'very strange'.
Kyrgios looked set to miss out on SW19 despite being part of the BBC's punditry team for last year's tournament, alongside Tim Henman and John McEnroe.
The broadcaster's decision to include the Australian on the panel 12 months after he admitted to assaulting his former girlfriend Chiara Passari - and avoided a criminal conviction - was met with a fierce backlash from the public and MPs.
Disrupted by knee and wrist injuries, the 30-year-old will not be involved as a player, making this the third consecutive year he has missed out. His last appearance on the court at Wimbledon came in 2022, when he lost the final to Novak Djokovic.
Kyrgios was also overlooked by ESPN this year despite featuring on their panel at the Australian Open, and previously worked for the Tennis Channel and TNT Sports.
However, he will now be at Wimbledon after all after landing an eye-catching new media role with talkSPORT, according to The Times.
He is said to be joining the radio station to record a daily half-hour show alongside co-presenter Gordon Smart. Kyrgios will also make appearances alongside Jim White and Simon Jordan in the morning across the fortnight.
Before his new job became public, Kyrgios had taken a thinly-veiled dig at his rumoured BBC replacement - only for him to shoot down the speculation.
Kyrgios claimed that Christopher Eubanks, the world No 108, had been lined up and after beating each member of the 'Big Four' - Roger Feder, Rafael Nadal, Novak Djokovic and Andy Murray - he expressed his bemusement with the move.
'It's unfortunate but it's probably their loss more than mine,' he told The Guardian.
'I understand they've got Chris Eubanks, but he hasn't beaten the greatest of all time multiple times. When someone's beaten Federer, Nadal, Murray and Djokovic and has incredible insights, it's very strange you wouldn't want them adding knowledge.'
Eubanks himself took to social media to insist he would not be working with the BBC.
'As far as I know, my team hasn't even spoken to anyone from [the] BBC so I'm not sure where that came from,' the 29-year-old said on X.
Kyrgios made an appearance on talkSPORT on Thursday and shared his sympathy for Emma Raducanu, declaring his 'heart does go out to her'.
'I look at that run [at the US Open in 2021],' he said. 'She was smiling and enjoying her tennis so much and that whole two weeks for her was an incredible journey.
'But since then, I've seen her kind of enjoy her tennis, but I've never really seen her smile and really enjoy it as she did when she won the tournament.
'Whether or not that it's external pressure, I don't know what's going on, but at the end of the day, we play sport because we love it and we go out there because we want to compete and entertain people.
'I hope that she figures out what's wrong and what's going on there, I hope she finds the answers, but I completely understand.'
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