QUITE a few Malaysians stayed up late last night to catch the action – not just at the football fortunes of Argentina or Switzerland but of Australia’s Nick Kyrgios.
Kyrgios – battled in four sets to oust the Number One ranked player at the top of the tennis hierarchy now – Spaniard Rafael Nadal.
Check his online profile and you'll discover that his middle name is Hilmy – now is there any more Malaysian name than H-i-l-m-y?
Search the net and you’ll learn that this new sporting sensation goes by the name Nicholas Hilmy (Nick) Kyrgios who is half-Malaysian.
The Malaysian connection comes from his mother, known from the same source only as Norlaila (several of my female colleagues are Norlaila – how much more Malaysian a name therefore, can mom be)? Apparently, she is a computer engineer married to Giorgos, a self-employed house painter.
Born in Canberra in 1995, he has a sister – wait for it; Halimah. Halimah is an actress, while the third in the family – bother Christos, is a lawyer.
To non-tennis followers, the Kyrgios name is no different from Adam; just another completely anonymous young man newly starting out in the professional game.
By the time he was ready to hit the circuit as a teenager, the Greek DNA gifted to him from dad Giorgos made him blossom from a runt into a 1.93 meter, 78 kg hulk by the time he turned professional in 2013.
He soon made waves – winning the boys singles event at the 2013 Australian Open and the boys doubles event at Wimbledon the same year. He was also thrown into the cauldron of team competition with Davis Cup tennis. His huge presence, undoubted promise and eye-catching performances earned him many wild card invites, including this one at Wimbledon.
Kyrgios brings to the game youthful power – in the game against Nadal, he served 13 aces in the first set alone! By the time his day was done, he had served 24 more missiles down his opponent’s throat!
This being the World Cup, we can’t help but make the comparison between the rising fortunes of another 19-year-old star-in-the-making, now on the football stadia of Brazil .
He is Colombia’s James David Rodriguez Rubio aka James Rodriguez – okay, he was born wa...aay back in 1991,which makes him all of 22; but he was 19 once!
His goal-scoring exploits has earned him the covetous envy of Real Madrid which appears willing to break the bank to bring him over from French outfit Monaco.
Back to the green turf of SW19. This burst of youthful exploits harks back to the Mens’ Final back in 1985 when the then 17-year-old Boris Becker won Wimbledon, brushing aside equally big-serving South African Kevin Curren.
Later, another 19-year-old; Roger Federer, brought the curtains down on the glittering career of another tennis great, Pete Sampras. So another tennis tsunami this time round is quite likely.
The last time Australia produced a Grand Slam winner was in 2002 with Lleyton Hewitt. Just over a decade later, another Aussie looks likely to make a grand entry. The name may be Greek, but Malaysians will join in the joyful celebration when that happens.
Razak Chik
Wed Jul 02 2014
Kyrgios' Malaysian connection comes from his mother, known only as Norlaila, who is apparently a computer engineer married to Giorgos, a self-employed house painter.
Berita tempatan pilihan sepanjang hari ini
Berikut adalah berita yang paling menjadi tumpuan sepanjang Selasa, 30 April 2024.
Berita antarabangsa pilihan sepanjang hari ini
Antara pelbagai berita luar negara yang disiarkan di Astro AWANI, berikut adalah yang paling menjadi tumpuan sepanjang hari ini.
Piala Thomas: Malaysia muncul naib juara Kumpulan D
Malaysia melolosi Kumpulan D Piala Thomas selaku naib juara apabila tunduk 2-3 kepada Denmark, sebentar tadi.
10 Berita Pilihan - (30 April 2024)
Antara pelbagai berita dalam dan luar negara yang disiarkan di Astro AWANI, berikut adalah yang paling menjadi tumpuan sepanjang hari ini.
Pelaksanaan hukuman sebat di khalayak di bawah bidang kuasa negeri - Mohd Na'im
Hukuman sebat bagi pesalah syariah di khalayak ramai adalah di bawah bidang kuasa negeri.
Kargo udara global catat pertumbuhan berganda pada Mac - IATA
Industri kargo udara global mencatatkan 23.1 bilion tan kargo kilometer (CTK) pada Mac, mewakili pertumbuhan 10.3 peratus dari tahun ke tahun, menurut Persatuan Pengangkutan Udara Antarabangsa (IATA).
FAM buat persiapan awal aksi menentang Krygystan, Taiwan
Persatuan Bolasepak Malaysia (FAM) telah membuat perancangan awal dalam usaha membantu skuad Harimau Malaya mencipta sejarah mara ke pusingan ketiga Kelayakan Piala Dunia buat kali pertama.
Tumpuan Rabu - 01 Mei 2024
Ikuti rangkuman berita utama yang menjadi tumpuan di Astro AWANI.
Matrade sasar ketengahkan 150 syarikat Malaysiaa di CAEXPO 2024
Matrade menyasar untuk menampilkan 150 syarikat Malaysia di CAEXPO 2024 yang akan berlangsung di Nanning, China dari 24 hingga 28 Sept, 2024.
Malaysia perlu guna kepakaran, sumber secara kolektif bagi memacu industri halal - Tengku Zafrul
Malaysia perlu memanfaatkan kepakaran dan sumber secara kolektif bagi memacu pertumbuhan dan pembangunan mampan dalam industri halal.
Australia kebakaran, Kyrgios sejuk baran.. Gerak selebriti, derma padam api
Barisan selebriti dan bintang sukan gerakkan usaha berderma beri sokongan padam kebakaran yang melanda Australia sejak September.