Nick Kyrgios loses a tough match, but gains much-needed perspective

Everyone’s favorite thing to do is rag on Nick Kyrgios, whether he wins or loses, but at the end of the day, he's a lot more than just an explosive personality who exhibits thoughtless behavior.

On Wednesday at the Australian Open, the world No. 14 led his second-round encounter against Andreas Seppi by two sets, and even held a match point, before falling 1-6, 6-7 (1), 6-4, 6-2, 10-8.

Afterward, Kyrgios admitted to getting in his own way.

“That's how it's been my whole career really,” the Australian said. “I put my head down, want it. But things happen. It's just me not being able to be consistent, not really wanting it.”

Kyrgios is proving that you can both really want it and not want it at all.

There's little doubt that tennis chose Kyrgios more than he chose it—he has said point blank that he doesn’t love the sport. But plenty of athletes who started playing sports at a young age, often times at the nudging of a parent, don’t love what they do wholeheartedly. The difference is Kyrgios is still raving about a second sport, his true love, basketball. Rafael Nadal chose tennis over soccer and has seemingly never looked back. Kyrgios could stand to benefit from that approach.

What’s more, Kyrgios isn’t just willing to risk injury during the offseason by playing hoops, but he’s also admitting it to the world, baiting people to question his seriousness and commitment.

“Did a couple things in the offseason that I'm probably not going to do next time. It's on me, I guess,” Kyrgios said on Wednesday. “It was fun. I love to play [basketball]. Hurt my knee.”

It’s like Kyrgios constantly seeking out a reprimanding, and thriving on getting a reaction. But it can’t be all be that simple, or that foolishly shallow.

A player’s relationship with tennis is sort of like one with a lover. At first that may seem absurd, but break it down and the similarities appear. It's something, or someone, you spend the majority of your time with. It’s easy to feel emotional highs and lows, as fast as from one minute to the next, and it’s common to feel like you’re giving more to it than it’s giving to you. It’s the root of most of your joy, and most of your anger. And you can’t live without it.

When Kyrgios throws a fit, he's possibly feeling scorned by the game—angered by its delicate flightiness and embarrassed by its brashness—even though it is oftentimes all his fault. Combine that with his regret at not pursuing basketball instead, and you’ve got a volatile situation.

But really, is it possible to hate tennis when it’s literally giving you the clothes on your back and the food on your table?

Of course it is.

How many people hate their job, and complain about it incessantly, even going into fits over the moroseness of their lives? At least they have the option to switch offices, move cities or even change careers. Kyrgios has invested his entire life into tennis, and nothing else.

Remember when Andre Agassi admitted passionate hatred for tennis in his autobiography, Open? But Agassi is a former No. 1 and winner of eight majors, and retired before uncovering all his skeletons.

Still, Kyrgios is just 21, and growing up in the spotlight of a much more unforgiving era. If you can get past the disgruntled “too cool for this” vibe he oozes, you’ll notice he’s maturing, albeit slowly. Just look at his response when a reporter asked what he would change in tennis.

“I don't want to change the sport at all. It's given me a lot of things,” Kyrgios said. “It's given me a great opportunity. I've met a lot of people through it.”

Those people include good friends, like Jack Sock, and his girlfriend, fellow pro Alja Tomljanovic. He’s going to need to meet another person to fully turn all of his obvious potential into Slam success, specifically a coach. Instead of being stubbornly contrarian, Kyrgios reveals that he is opening up to the idea.

“I think that's one area where I obviously need to start taking a bit more seriously,” he said. “I mean, I don't think there's anyone in the Top 100 without a coach except for me. That needs to change.”

No matter what happens next, tennis is stuck to Kyrgios permanently, whether he likes it or not. That’s not going to change.