He’s just had Covid, making him less likely to get it again, but that’s not the point. We don’t know for sure that a recent dose guarantees immunity – perhaps the bloke in the crowd should be the one getting an RAT test. Or, just say the spectator unknowingly has Covid. Just say Kyrgios got it again for an act so juvenile it could have come from a daft Happy Gilmore movie. Just say Kyrgios took it back to the locker room and wiped out half the field. Everything else he did against Liam Broady was good. That was bad. Dangerous at worst. At best, a bad example.
Nick Kyrgios just can't help himself ðŸ»#AusOpen | @NickKyrgiospic.twitter.com/KHaJXe33PY
— Eurosport UK (@Eurosport_UK) January 18, 2022
It’s hypocritical because he’s the one who’s been banging on about Covid for the last two years. He ripped into Novak Djokovic and Alex Zverev for dancing around shirtless. Anyone who didn’t act with caution, he criticised them. He tried to turn himself into the voice of reason, holding others to account when they didn’t act safely, saying certain tournaments shouldn’t have been held. And then at an event in Melbourne that can be ripped apart if Covid spreads – any player testing positive will be removed from the draw – he does this? When the laughter died down, my thought was as follows. You damn fool. You’re a visitor to Melbourne. The most locked down city in the world. Locals cannot do what you did. Why should you? Where’s the respect for that, and them?
Tennis Australia’s weak-as-water press release on Tuesday night dodged all relevant issues regarding the Djokovic fiasco. But it did state this: “Tennis Australia has been working closely with both the Federal and Victorian government for the past year to deliver a Covid safe Australian Open for the players, staff and fans. Embarking on a major international sporting event during a pandemic that continues to evolve and challenge us all is profoundly demanding for all stakeholders.”
The fine print to acting safely for the good of the event and your peers: don’t drink from the cup of a stranger. It doesn’t matter that it was beer. He could have been sipping water or herbal tea. Just don’t do it. You’d think Kyrgios would be more careful than anyone after his own ordeal from the virus.
Covid left him bedridden in the last two weeks. “Sleeping 17 hours a day,” he said. “Hit me pretty hard. I was training five hours a day, feeling extraordinary, and then it hit me … couldn’t really breathe well. Coughing. Like, for someone that you assume is in the peak of his physicality, I got hit pretty bad. Anyone that’s been through it, I hope honestly for the best. Obviously physically I don’t feel 100 per cent, but I’m not going to use that as an excuse. Like, everyone is dealing with that at the moment. The whole world is dealing with it.”
The best way to deal with it? Do everything possible to prevent it spreading. If you fancy a beer, go get your own.
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Spare me the fawning over Nick Kyrgios drinking beer from a random punter in the stands. The rest of his showmanship on Tuesday night was good for a laugh. The tennis wasn’t bad. But Australia’s just had its deadliest Covid day. Everyone at Melbourne Park is under strict instructions to keep your distance, wear a mask, don’t do anything dumb. Kyrgios did something dumb … and hypocritical.