He'll go down in history as one of Australian cricket's toughest fighters and former Aussie cricket captain Steve Waugh has a simple solution to fix wayward tennis star Nick Kyrgios.
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And while Tennis ACT chief executive Ross Triffitt labelled Kyrgios' tanking "horrendous" and "disrespectful", he said his organisation would do whatever they could to help get the world No.14 back on track.
Waugh will embark on his Captain's Ride from Bowral next Saturday, where he'll ride 700 kilometres to Mount Kosciuszko over six days to raise money for children with rare diseases.
He felt it would be the perfect tonic for Kyrgios after his meltdown last week, where he stopped trying in his second-round match against Mischa Zverev at the Shanghai Masters – handing the Russian the second set and the match in bizarre circumstances.
The ATP suspended Kyrgios for eight tournament weeks and fined him $32,500 for "conduct contrary to the integrity of the game" on Monday, ruling him out until the Australian Open.
But the ban can be reduced to just three weeks if he works with a sports psychologist.
The punishment came on top of the $21,500 fine he received from the ATP officials in Shanghai.
Kyrgios' effort was a far cry from the heroics Waugh would regularly perform on the cricket field for his country, where he never gave an inch to some of the world's fastest bowlers.
Maybe some of that grit could wear off from the former Aussie Test skipper.
"The best therapy he could get is to come on the Captain's Ride and spend some time with kids with rare diseases," Waugh said when asked about Kyrgios.
The ride goes through Canberra, where Kyrgios could spend some of his suspension training.
If he does come back to this home town, Triffitt said they would offer whatever support they could for the 21-year-old.
Triffitt didn't condone Kyrgios' behaviour in Shanghai, but said they understood the pressures he was under.
"We don't condone the behaviour, it's horrendous. It really was very disrespectful, but at the same time we understand what goes on for him," Triffitt said.
"He's playing under an enormous amount of pressure, so that's a consideration.
"But we're not in control of any sanctions or anything like that, that's the ATP that makes those decisions.
"At the end of the day he's still a human being and he's still from Canberra so we'll look after him within reason."
The meltdown came the week after Kyrgios had won the Japan Open – his third title of the year to become the first Australian to accomplish the feat since Lleyton Hewitt in 2004.
But Triffitt felt the win came at a cost, wearing Kyrgios down ahead of Shanghai.
Kyrgios could return to Canberra during his enforced lay-off, where he regularly uses the new facilities at Lyneham.
He's also worked at the Australian Institute of Sport in the past and that's another option for the young star, with some of the country's best sports psychologists on hand.
Triffitt agreed with Tennis Australia's statement, which said it supported the ATP's penalties, but Kyrgios' "health and wellbeing" were a priority.
"We'll do whatever we can. The ATP have obviously handed down some guidelines and we're not directly involved in all of that, so we'll just see what role we have if any," he said.
"Obviously we'll provide support wherever we can and try and help him deal with the challenges and issues that he's got.
"It's obvious the win in Tokyo took its toll on him physically and mentally, playing Shanghai was a bit too much.
"He's definitely going to benefit from some rest and recuperating and we'll be there to help him with that as best we can."
