Nick Kyrgios: 'Half-kampung kid' tennis sensation

“We have a roster, marked with different colours on who will accompany Nick on his tours. His father, brother, sister, manager and I take turns – so that he doesn’t feel homesick, “said Norlaila Kyrgios, the Malaysian-born mother to Nick.

“His performance will take a dip if he is homesick. We try to be there for him.”

The Australian teenager is in the capital for the Malaysian Open ATP 250 tournament, alongside Japanese star Kei Nishikori, fresh from his US Open exploits where the 24-year-old beat world number one Novak Djokovic.

But Nick is a crowd favourite in his own right too: not only because he is half Malaysian, the Canberra-based lad stamped his mark in the international stage after he sensationally ousted 14-time Grand Slam champion Rafael Nadal at Wimbledon in July.

Norlaila, to some extent, was credited to her son’s stunning feat.

She had told the press that Nick would not be able to beat Nadal in a pre-match interview; and this 'lack-of-faith' in her son's abilities became the spur for him to succeed.

“I am very happy that he used that for motivation to win. I was very proud of him. But I’m also pretty sure 95% of population had the same prediction as me,” she said with a smile, during an interview at the Stadium Putra Bukit Jalil on Sunday, the venue of the Malaysian Open matches which ends on Sept 28. Nick has a natural talent for the sport, said Norlaila, but committing to seeing his potential unfold is one that required full-time support.

That means driving him to tennis lessons almost on a daily basis, expensive coaching fees, and taking part in tournaments in different locations – being a 'tennis mum' is not easy, the full-time software engineer admitted.

"As parents, we can’t just drop them off at training and let go. We have to be there to watch the game, be interested.

"On some days, they don’t feel like playing – you have to be there for them," said Norlaila.

"Motivation is happiness. If the kid is happy at what he's doing, I believe that he will succeed eventually."

Nick started playing serious tennis at age 10, when he represented his state for the Under-12 nationals.

Three years later, he was playing about 15 tournaments a year in Australia, many against players above his age, due to his stature.

Nick stands at 6 feet 4 inches now.

"Dia gemuk masa kecil’ (he was chubby as a kid)," revealed Norlaila in fluent Malay, despite having been residing in Australia since she was 12.

She said some rival parents tossed barbs her way, saying her son was too fat to play, what more succeed.

Nick went on to win his first International Tennis Federation (ITF) junior tour title in Fiji at age 15 before becoming world junior number one soon after.

He also spearheaded his country back into the elite Davis Cup and is currently ranked 51 in the world.

The right-handed rising star, who plays double-handed backhand, just turned professional last year.

A thrilling but intense 12 months, however, has left him physically and emotionally spent, Nick was quoted saying in recent media reports.

He played the US Open and Davis Cup with a bone stress injury in his left arm.

“KL is going to be my last tournament. I am going to go home to rest my arm; it’s been hurting me for the last couple of months. I’ll be home and start training in Melbourne," said Nick at a press event at Dataran Merdeka yesterday.

Nick will be back in action in early December to play in the International Tennis Premier League (ITPL), along with top guns like Djokovic, Serena Williams, Lleyton Hewitt, and former Grand Slam champions, Pete Sampras and Andre Agassi, among others.

For now, Nick is pleased to be here at the Malaysia Open where is he is expected to draw good 'home crowd' support.

Nicknamed the ‘half-kampung kid’, Nick will face off fellow Australian Marinko Matosevic in the first round on Tuesday.

“I think it’s important to play in front of family and fans from around the world. I’m excited. I love the venue and am really enjoying myself here.”