WHEN Nick Kyrgios was a kid, he was fat and some people said he was not good enough to be a top tennis players.
Kyrgios’s Malaysian-born mother Norlaila revealed yesterday to Timesport how the Australian overcame adversities to become a world famous player.
Norlaila, who moved to Canberra over 30 years ago, said the family have worked hard as a team to help mould Kyrgios into what he is today.
Kyrgios, 19, whose father Giorgos is Greek, burst into the limelight after he upset Spanish great Rafael Nadal en route to reaching the Wimbledon quarterfinals in July.
“We could not afford to have a coach train Nick everyday when he was a kid (before he was 10) as it was very expensive,” said Norlaila, when met at the ATP Malaysian Open in Kuala Lumpur yesterday.
“What we did was to have him train with a coach maybe two or three times a week and the rest of the time his dad or myself would feed him the balls and do the drills ourselves.
“Giorgos and I both work full time, so we would take turns to take him to training and tournaments. We always made sure someone was there for him and when we were not available, Giorgos' relatives would help.
“Nick’s first big break was being selected to represent Canberra in a team event when he was 10 and later as a teenager he went on to represent the country in junior Davis Cup.
“The competition in Australia is very stiff among players and also parents. Nick was fat when he was small and I have so many bad memories of other parents saying he was not good enough but we stayed strong.
“At the 13 to 14 age group, there is not much funding as there is just so much talent. At most you would get some subsidised coaching and maybe 25 per cent of the cost of competing in international events (from the national body).
“We still had to come up with most of it (finance) and to save money we stayed in hostels and when I travelled with Nick, I would cook his favourite meals in the communal kitchens. I would tell him to ignore what others said (about them staying in hostels).
“We did it the hard way but I am glad we did as it has been a good learning curve. Until today I still book Nick in economy (class), he’ll wince as he has long legs but you cannot just be spending and splurging.”
Norlaila stressed that there are three factors that parents need to take seriously if they want their child to develop into a top tennis player.
“Nick first started running around on court and picking up tennis balls when he was four but in general when children start playing at six or seven until they reach 16, it’s not about the kids but is all about what the parents do (who are responsible in developing them).
“You have to be willing to send and accompany them to training, you have to spend the money and most importantly you have to motivate them to keep going at it.
“Along the way, there will be times when they would say ’don't watch me’ and they are shy or just want to do it their way and you have to give them that space. There are also times when they want you to watch them.
“Children cannot motivate themselves so you have to help them with that. At times they may not want to play as they think they are losing (on a bad streak) but you have to tell them that the break will come, you just have to keep working hard and try to be better.
“Never tell children that a lot of money has been spent on them with no return or that they are just wasting money. You will just make them feel guilty. It is not about money, it is about finding happiness.”