How Nick Kyrgios Can Stay out of Trouble and Get His Game Back on Track

Nick Kyrgios' quarterfinals loss to Benoit Paire at the Japan Open in Tokyo showcased the delicate position in which the 20-year-old Australian finds himself.

Whether reaching the quarterfinals at a 500-level tournament or losing in the first round at the U.S. Open, Kyrgios will be scrutinized based on his on-court behavior. If he wants to change that, it starts with rewriting the script he's helped pen on himself. 

Paire defeated Kyrgios 3-6, 6-4, 6-1 Friday. Kyrgios will rise in the rankings to as high as No. 32. That's up from No. 42 in less than a month. 

Despite some media attempts to paint him as the worst thing to happen to tennis, Kygrios has gone about his business. His game is back on track and he's staying out of trouble. 

More importantly, Kyrgios is rebuilding his image after self-inflicted damage. 

In August, the ATP Tour suspended Kyrgios for 28 days from ATP-sanctioned tournaments and fined him an additional $25,000 on for disparaging remarks he made about Stan Wawrinka's girlfriend. The ATP stated Kyrgios could avoid suspension if he did not incur fines for verbal or physical abuse totaling $5,000 at any ATP tournament and does not accumulate fines totaling more than $5,000 for any other offenses at ATP-sanctioned tournaments.

About a month into his "probationary" period, Kyrgios seems to have relocated his game and ditched the on-court behavior that got him into trouble.

What he hasn't escaped is the microscope he put himself under. The ATP was specific about the type and amount of fines Kyrgios would have to accumulate. It also restricted it to ATP-sponsored events.

So far, he hasn't been fined at all. However, that hasn't stopped people from characterizing his actions. Make no mistake, Kyrgios is responsible for the white hot light spotlighting his behavior. Instead of getting the benefit of the doubt afforded to most young athletes going through growing pains, Kyrgios is being picked apart by tennis fans and journalists who analyze his every move regardless of how mundane or minuscule.

He's even been criticized for how he chooses to relax during the changeover. Kyrgios made headlines when he was caught "napping" during a changeover at the U.S. Open. During his match against Paire, Kyrgios reclined across the seat and fans took to Twitter to question his actions.

Members of the media who love a scandal and controversy seem determined to pursue the bad-boy narrative with Kyrgios. A transcript  from his post-match press conference at the U.S. Open, provided by ASAPSports, demonstrates how Kyrgios has to explain routine behavior. 

"

Q. Lots of opportunities, lots of wasted chances. What went wrong?
NICK KYRGIOS: That's a bit rough saying 'wasted chances.' I thought I created opportunities. I tried to take them. I thought he served pretty clutch in certain situations. His defense was unbelievable again tonight.

Q. You seemed to be going for a lot of flashy shots. Night session excitement.
NICK KYRGIOS: I'm playing those shots whether it's day session first on. When I'm getting lobbed and running back, I think that's the easiest shot for me to hit, to be honest. I'm not a massive fan of trying to hit a lob off a lob. I thought a made a couple, but yeah.

Q. Do you understand there may be some animosity among the crowd after what happened a couple weeks ago?
NICK KYRGIOS: Yeah, 100%. Still people in the crowd that are unhappy with what happened. And that's only normal.

Q. Any more thoughts about that behavior and the way forward for you, whether you'll grow up from this experience?
NICK KYRGIOS: I'd like to think that I'm going to learn from it. I think I have.

I think I'm on the right path. I don't think any of us in this room right now were perfect at 20. Speak up if you were.

"

Tennis writer Peter Bodo quoted Kyrgios in an ESPN article but went on to characterize Andy Murray as "the straight-laced Scot that he is." 

Even at age 28 Murray is as animated as any player and routinely drops F-bombs on the court. Somehow, perhaps it's the British accent, Murray has garnered the straight-laced Scot image.

Lleyton Hewitt, a friend and mentor, told the Australian Broadcasting Corporation (ABC) that he expects big things from Kyrgios in the future. 

"He is one of our massive shining lights moving forward. He is a big-match player as well and probably three, four, five years away from playing his best tennis consistently week in, week out. We are all really good mates with Nick and we get along."

It will take time for Kyrgios to rebuild his image. There's no need for him to become a choir boy. He can retain his personality, even the emotional volatility, as long as he loses the disruptive or disrespectful antics.

As bad as things are for him now, he can totally change people's opinion of him. Roger Federer did it. 

David Waldstein wrote about the once volatile, temper-tantrum throwing Federer in a 2009 New York Times article titled "Cool Federer Image Was Forged in a Hot Head."

Federer was in his late teens when he turned his attitude around. He told Waldstein "In the end of the day it's up to me. Everybody was telling me to get my act together. I just tried to find ways to calm myself down on the court."

Kyrgios told Tennis.com that Federer is "the one role model I have."

Federer is the perfect role model for how to get one's act together. 

If Kyrgios wants to transform his image like Federer did, he has plenty of work to do. Going from cut-up to ambassador takes a three-pronged approach. He must avoid future flair ups, work on his fitness and stay focused on his game.

If Kyrgios can do all three, he will climb the rankings and quiet his critics.