Balls it's not

Nick Kyrgios is a hugely talented tennis player but he can inflame the crowd – as he did when playing Rafa Nadal at Indian Wells whom that crowd – indeed all crowds - deeply love.

Nick collected a point penalty for verbal obscenity as he lost to Rafa in a tight 3 setter. So far, so Nick.

But Nick Kyrgios actually made some really interesting observations about social media after that match, that few people dare say out loud - probably for fear of being cancelled.

The tennis player said, "I just want people to know that you're a spectator. You've bought tickets to come watch us play. At least don't scream out before first and second serve.

"I think it's just this generation. Everyone feels like their opinion is valid. It is getting worse because of social media, people think that they're relevant all of a sudden.

"You're not relevant. You have a little social media account that you type to people on. You spread negativity. It's embarrassing, and you can see how it affects people."

In these few words Nick summed up what probably a lot of people really think.

Virtually everyone on social media seems to have an opinion on everything. And everyone thinks their opinion is important and valuable and has a ‘right to space’ (regardless of the level of intellectual rigour applied in the drafting of their points.) And 99% of what is written, eg on Twitter, is negative, critical, biased and self-serving; and there it sits in a little self-regarding echo chamber of like-minded people.

It is very satisfying to see a person like Nick say it as it is.

I really hope he wins this argument as well as his next match.