His on-court antics and a fetish for controversial utterances have given him a negative image in the tennis world but Nick Kyrgios today asserted that he is "not a bad boy" at all.
The young Australian attracted a lot of negative attention when, during the Rogers Cup, his sledge remarks against Stanislas Wawrinka began a controversy.
His comments about Wawrinka's girlfriend were picked up by the microphone and he was pilloried by everyone. He was eventually dropped from Australia's Davis Cup team and was also fined by the ATP.
However, the 20-year-old defended himself.
"I am not a bad boy at all. I just want to win. Sometimes emotions get the better of me. I don't know from where it comes," the young Australian said after winning his men's singles match against Edouard Roger-Vasselin in an IPTL encounter.
He also said he would not try to change his image and prefers to be himself.
"I don't regret anything. It's a journey."
He and Wawrinka were to play for the same side in the IPTL, Singapore Slammers, but the Swiss player has not travelled with the team.
Asked how he would have gelled with Wawrinka, Kyrgios said it would not have been a problem.
"It's a long time. He (Wawrinka) has played fantastic and he understands that I am young, still learning. If we were in the same team, I would have worked with him for win," he said.
Talking about the 2015 season, the Australian was pretty satisfied with his achievements. He undoubtedly ran into controversies but recorded the biggest win of his career when he beat Rafael Nadal at Wimbledon.
"I knew from the start there will be ups and downs. I am still young and learning. This year has been pretty successful. I finished inside top-30. That was one of the biggest matches of my career. He's my idol. In that match I got to know that I have potential. I will be lying if I say that when I wake up, I don't think that I beat Rafa. It was big and nice," he said.
Kyrgios said IPTL was a great concept.
"Carlos (Moya) is my idol, sitting next to him is a great experience. I loved the format, the team environment. It's different and quick.
