Australian tennis star Nick Kyrgios just got his entire back decked out in Pokémon. Done in a mesmerizing black-and-grey style, the tattoo pays homage to the player’s love for the classic Japanese animated series. In Kyrgios’ Instagram caption for the finished piece, he writes, “POKÉMON GANG 4 LIFE. HAD TO COOK UP SOMETHING CRAZY!!!!”
For such an enormous backpiece, it’s a no-brainer the athlete would visit the illustrious Ganga Tattoo in LA. In a recent post, Kyrgios can be seen laying face-down on a table while five tattoo artists get into the zone on the player’s back. Ganga Tattoo is famous for tattooing a wide range of celebrities, from Anthony Davis to Jake Paul and very recently, Tyga.
Kyrgios’ massive ink shows he’s not playing around. Spanning his entire back, it depicts a dynamic array of several of the most notable Pokémon. Taking center stage is the mighty Blastoise, faithfully surrounded by Mewtwo, Gengar and Lapras, with other characters such as Charmander and Snorlax thrown into the mix. The final product is an elaborate, full-coverage work of art that not only screams “I can handle the pain of this,” but also that keeping the player’s inner child alive is integral to his character.
In 2016, Kyrgios tweeted on more than one occasion about his love for Pokémon Go. “Eat, sleep, Pokemon Go,” the player wrote of the game, along with “Just quietly, how good is Pokemon Go. Honestly been playing that more than tennis.”
The player has faced a rocky year so far, with injuries having hindered his ability to take part in several events. Earlier this year, Kyrgios pulled out of his home Grand Slam, the Australian Open, to receive arthroscopic knee surgery. After returning to action in June, the player made an appearance at the Stuttgart Open, though ended up taking a first-round loss to China’s Wu Yubing. Injuries have also prevented Kyrgios from participating in Wimbledon.
Hopefully, this new behemoth of a backpiece will serve as the mark of a rejuvenated upswing in Kyrgios’ current situation. Nonetheless, it’s an outstanding work dedicated to a beloved piece of sentimentality, and that’s what tattoos are all about anyway.
