"Stop being a hater!": Eugenie Bouchard defends Nick Kyrgios from backlash to his commentary at 2023 ATP Finals

Eugenie Bouchard has defended Nick Kyrgios from backlash surrounding his commentary at the 2023 ATP Finals in Turin.

The 2022 Wimbledon finalist has been absent for most of the season due to injury but returned as a commentator for Tennis Channel at the 2023 Nitto ATP Finals, held at the Pala Alpitour in Turin. At the start of the year, Kyrgios withdrew from the Australian Open due to a knee injury and did not attempt to make a return until the Stuttgart Open in June.

After a first-round defeat there, the 28-year-old pulled out of Wimbledon and the US Open due to a wrist injury and has been recovering since then, with the aim of coming back to the sport at the Brisbane International in early 2024. However, as one of the most controversial players of his generation, he is still receiving criticism from tennis fans off the court with some calling out his commentary at the season-ending championship.

The Australian player has been adding his tennis expertise to Tennis Channel's coverage of the ATP Finals and made his commentating debut in the match between Daniil Medvedev and Alexander Zverev. During the live coverage, Kyrgios reflected on his new role: "I feel like I'm a student of the game. I can give insights. You know I've been on court with most of these guys, I've shared locker room moments. I can give bit of a different look," he said.

However, several fans did not feel the same way, with one taking to Instagram to show their discontent: "When are you people going to stop giving this guy a platform?" they wrote. This led Canadian player and former World No. 5 Bouchard to rush to Kyrgios' defense: "Stop being a hater!" she replied.

Like Kyrgios, the 29-year-old is also a Wimbledon finalist, having lost to Petra Kvitova in 2014. Bouchard and Kyrgios also played mixed doubles together at the US Open in 2015, winning their opening match before withdrawing from the second round due to their commitments to singles.