Nick Kyrgios, a tennis bad boy, has offered to tutor Kate Middleton following the Princess of Wales’ touching comeback to Wimbledon on Sunday.
The Princess was unable to attend the women’s singles final on Saturday, but returned to Wimbledon the next day for Carlos Alcaraz‘s match against Novak Djokovic, in only her second public appearance since a cancer diagnosis.
Kate, the patron of the All England Lawn Tennis and Croquet Club, is an avid follower of the sport, and many fans were overjoyed to see the British royal return to SW19.
The Princess’s return to Wimbledon pleased Australian Kyrgios, who has made an impression on the BBC commentary crew this year. Kyrgios has even volunteered to tutor the Princess after she previously hit with Roger Federer.
Despite being known for his actions both on and off the court, Kyrgios—who finished second in the 2022 Wimbledon men’s singles—is still very much the bad boy of the sport. However, on Sunday, he wore a sharp suit instead of his typical casual wear.
Speaking on the BBC, he said: ‘Maybe I’m a little bit too volatile… But look, I’ve got a lot of time on my hands at the moment so I’m happy to coach [Kate Middleton].
‘It’ll be more fun being coached by me than it would by [Roger] Federer!’
Kyrgios was unable to play at this year’s Championships due to injury but he has been hitting in practice with Djokovic and looks set to return soon.
Djokovic provided a key update on Kyrgios after his Wimbledon semi-final victory over Lorenzo Musetti.
‘I can tell you a few days ago when we practiced – actually [Thursday] I think it was when we practiced – he hit a really good serve, and he said, ‘Well, I might come back at the US 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.’