Fans say the same thing about Nick Kyrgios bombshell at the Australian Open
Fans and critics all seem to be saying the same thing about Nick Kyrgios’ bombshell statement about not coming back to the Australian Open.
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Nick Kyrgios dropped a bomb at the Australian Open this week, revealing he can’t see himself playing men’s singles at Melbourne Park again.
“Realistically, I can’t see myself playing a singles match here again,” he said after losing his round one match against Brit Jacob Fearnley (7-6, 6-3, 7-6), which he had played with an abdominal strain.
But tennis fans are saying they’ll believe it when they see it.
Ahead of Kyrgios’ doubles match alongside fellow Aussie Thanasi Kokkinakis on Thursday night (which the pair retired from in the second set), news.com.au asked AO attendees what they thought of the news.
Both fans and critics agreed Kyrgios was “an entertainer”.
However, many younger people expressed disappointment at the tournament potentially losing this, while older generations typically said it was the reason they were happy to see the back of him.
“He’s a terrible role model for young people, if you ask me,” one man told news.com.au, describing his performances on the court as “a circus act”.
“You don’t want kids turning up to tennis events as potential professionals behaving poorly in a manner to put your opponent off, and that’s what he does. He uses the crowd to put opponents off.”
One mother-son duo who travelled from Perth to the Australian Open for the first time this year agreed to disagree.
“I’m not a fan of him, I have to be really honest, but I think he is good for the game,” the mum said.
“For my two teenage boys, they love him. I believe the younger generation, the 30 and under will miss him. He is a huge drawcard.”
One of her teenage boys added: “I think I enjoy when he’s cocky, it’s pretty funny. He gives me entertainment. That’s what I enjoy about him. I don’t want him to leave yet, I’m not ready for it.”
However, like almost everyone news.com.au spoke to, they wouldn’t be surprised if he came back.
“I don’t believe him,” one tennis goer said bluntly. “We’ll see what happens over the next few years.”
Another described it as a “heat of the moment” comment from Kyrgios.
“He is like that as a character,” they said.
“He puts bums on the seats, he’s entertaining, he plays great tennis. If he gets a bit fitter and his injuries are all right and he feels better about himself, I think he’ll be back. We can’t go on his word just yet.”
One middle-aged man described the reality of him not returning as “sad”.
“He has always been one of those people that created controversy but he was always a great tennis player who didn’t realise his full potential, which is a shame,” he said.
“It seemed like he was just getting his head together and now his body is falling apart. If he doesn’t come back, I think it will be a sad loss.”
The man’s wife was convinced Kyrgios would give it another shot, because “his ego is big enough”.
A foreigner who admitted he was pretty neutral on the situation unlike passionate Aussie fans still thought Kyrgios could return.
“He might be back next year. You never know with him, he might just show up next year,” he said.
Young Kyrgios fans said they were pleased Australian Thanasi Kokkinakis was bringing a similar energy, and would satisfy crowds in Kyrgios’ absence.
“Kokkinakis does the same thing, everyone goes because it’s a good crowd,” one said.
“Kyrgios definitely brings in the crowds, people like me. That excitement that he brought, Kokkinakis sort of brings a lot of that as well,” another explained.
“It’s definitely a loss but … Kokkinakis is definitely pretty entertaining to watch. As long as he stays healthy, we should be right.”
One person hoped Kyrgios would now focus on doubles.
“I think he should concentrate on doubles because people still want to see him play, but I don’t think his heart’s in working really hard for the singles,” they said. “If he can play doubles and still draw crowds, I think that would be really good for tennis.”
After pulling the pin on doubles during a match on Thursday night due to partner Kokkinakis’ injury, Kyrgios again confirmed: “I couldn’t see myself playing more than probably this year high-level singles anymore”.
It’s more likely he will be back again for doubles as it is “easier on the body”, he said.
“I’ve been out for a year and a half, two years, so I don’t know what this year’s going to bring. Obviously I’m going to trust the process. I think I’m hitting the ball great. I’ve still got a long way to get back to that same level I was in 2022,” he said.
Kyrgios said his focus was now on not taking anything for granted, and that was why he walked out on to John Cain Arena without headphones and music on Monday to hear the crowd roar.
“The process of getting back here for me, I didn’t think I was ever going to step on a tennis court again after my surgery. It was good to even be back and be a part of it,” he said.
Originally published as Fans say the same thing about Nick Kyrgios bombshell at the Australian Open
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