Nick Kyrgios was right to defend Emma Raducanu but wrong to attack Daniela Hantuchova for doing her job

“What’s with old retired players giving their opinion on our stars now?” the Australian tweeted on Sunday, as his Miami Open run continues.

He had issues with two former players.

Firstly, with Andy Roddick. After a spate of racket abuse, the ex-world No 1 released a tongue-in-cheek video on Twitter on how to safely vent one’s frustration after Kyrgios almost hit a ballboy at Indian Wells and Jenson Brooksby did likewise in Miami – all after Alexander Zverev escaped a serious rebuke despite hitting the umpire’s chair in Acapulco.

Roddick, who also referenced Novak Djokovic hitting a line judge with a ball at the 2020 US Open, has racked up more than 1.5 million views for his “instructional” video in which he encourages vexed players to throw the racket “face down” and hit tennis balls “up”.

It provoked the above “old retired players” response from Kyrgios, who added: “I love A-rod and I agree we all need to chill with the rackets and all that, but geezus.”

Kyrgios then appeared to call out Daniela Hantuchova, the former world No 5 who had suggested players were losing respect for US Open champion Emma Raducanu.

“All the locker-room respect she had after the US Open is now kind of going away which is a shame,” Hantuchova said on Amazon Prime after Raducanu lost to Katerina Siniakova in the second round of the Miami Open.

On this, Kyrgios said: “I read an article about a past female player talking about Radacanu [sic], no offense but she is a far far bigger name already.”

The debate this raises is where exactly do you draw the line. Players typically retire in their early 30s, and those chasing an income stream and looking to continue working within the game will often turn to punditry, which has long been part of the broadcasted sport.

There to offer insight, pundits are the bridge between the viewer and the action, a window into a world the majority watching on are miles away from. Some of their answers can be short, others minutes long, but often it will be one line or even a couple of words that stand out and make a headline.

This was the case for Hantuchova who, having retired in 2017 aged 34, was simply fulfilling her current job requirements. She was asked a question and gave a response, but in doing so she irked Kyrgios around what is ultimately a sensitive subject – a 19-year-old player who was thrust into the spotlight last year and is now struggling on Tour after a 2-5 start to 2022.

With a grand slam best of an Australian Open semi-final, Hantuchova may be outranked by major winner Raducanu, but the notion she cannot comment on a “bigger name” is impractical. Not only would a list of “been there, done that” talking heads be very short – and very expensive – but the view from the top should not be the only perspective.

Great champions, aka “bigger names”, like Martina Navratilova, Chris Evert, and Billie Jean King have turned to punditry, and understandably their insight is cherished and carries greater weight, but this job cannot be reserved solely for legends.

Hantuchova has won seven WTA titles, meaning she is more than qualified to provide her opinion, while she is arguably better placed than most to shine a light on the ups and downs a player can go through. She knew the work it took to become a top-five player, a journey Raducanu has merely started, and so her opinion should not be belittled, while the wider context of her remarks should be taken in as well – it was balanced and far from damning.