Has the Australian bad boy of tennis gone soft?
Nick Kyrgios, known for his wild antics on the court, has made a surprising offer to none other than literal British royalty.
Kyrgios, 29 has extended an invitation to Kate Middleton to become the Princess of Wales’ personal tennis coach after she attended the Wimbledon men’s singles final on Sunday.
Middleton, 42, has stepped back from her public duties while undergoing cancer treatment, but was at the All England Tennis Club to watch Carlos Alcaraz defeat Novak Djokovic to defend his crown.
A patron of the world-famous club in London, Kate is a huge tennis fan and was warmly received by the crowd in just her second public appearance after her shock diagnosis.
Kyrgios was on punditry duty for the BBC during the Grand Slam final and shared his happiness at seeing the princess in the Royal Box.
He then took the opportunity to offer his services as her coach while also taking a slight backhand at Swiss tennis legend Roger Federer in the process.
“Maybe I’m a little bit too volatile,” Krygios began on BBC Sport, “but look, I’ve got a lot of time on my hands at the moment so I’m happy to coach (the princess).
“It’ll be more fun being coached by me than it would by (Roger) Federer!”
Kate has previously taken coaching advice from Federer, who retired from the sport in 2022.
Kyrgios has had plenty of free time on his hands recently, having been sidelined for more than a year with knee and wrist injuries.
However, there are hopes that he will be able to return in time for the U.S. Open later this summer.
Djokovic, a close friend of the Aussie, said as much during an interview following his semifinal win over Lorenzo Musetti.
“I can tell you a few days ago when we practiced — actually (Thursday) I think it was when we practised – he hit a really good serve, and he said, ‘Well, I might come back at the U.S. Open’ — so I don’t know if he was joking about it or not,” Djokovic said.
“But let me tell you, he’s hitting the ball as good as ever really. He’s so talented. He’s so good with his tennis.
“I think he said that the wrist bothers him mostly with the serve, but he’s been increasing the load and the intensity and the speed.
“He’s not going for full pace or full-strength serve, but he’s close to that. He’s close to that.”