Nick Kyrgios Blasts ‘Unprofessional’ ATP While Addressing Prize Money and Schedule Issues
Nick Kyrgios, who has so far played four tournaments this season, will be participating at the French Open for the first time since 2017.
Follow Us
Nick Kyrgios (Image via X/Tennis Australia)
Nick Kyrgios was one of the plaintiffs in the lawsuit the Novak Djokovic-backed Professional Tennis Players Association (PTPA) filed against the tennis bodies and the International Tennis Integrity Agency (ITIA). He has not yet played a match since the Miami Open this year.
Recently during the Changeover Podcast, Kyrgios did not mince his words while addressing the issues players face on the tour. He echoed the sentiments of players who think that the ATP doesn’t play them enough.
Kyrgios, like many players, including some top 10 ones, is against constant ball change in tournaments. The 30-year-old also harshly criticized the hectic tennis schedule, saying the calendar should end after the US Open as he thinks it’s difficult for the fans to stay engaged all the time and claimed that ATP 250 events are not popular. He said:
There are things like – how can you go to a Grand Slam and lose and the next day your credential doesn’t work for food? Every week there are different balls. Imagine playing NBA and you are playing one day in LA and then go to Boston and use another ball. What? It’s so unprofessional.
About two weeks after PTPA shocked the tennis world by filing the lawsuit, the top 20 players approached the Grand Slam tournaments to demand more money. Players like Aryna Sabalenka, Iga Swiatek, Coco Gauff, Carlos Alcaraz, and Djokovic argued that the percentage of the prize money given to the players from the revenue generated by the Grand Slam tournaments is not enough.
Kyrgios also shares the same opinion as Sabalenka about the two-week tournaments of the 1000 categories. He thinks that instead of the week-long events of this category, the two-week ones keep fans engaged more. The Aussie, however, feels Grand Slam events and those of the 500 and above category, as well as the exhibition events should only be parts of the calendar.
Nick Kyrgios thinks Grand Slam tournaments have become more open after the Big 3 era
According to Nick Kyrgios, when Jannik Sinner or Carlos Alcaraz lose matches, the Grand Slam tournaments become more open. He compared the present situation to that of the era dominated by the Big 3 (Novak Djokovic, Roger Federer, and Rafael Nadal).
Federer called his time on his career at the 2022 Laver Cup and Nadal retired at the 2024 Davis Cup. Djokovic is still playing but he is just a shadow of his former self as he is struggling to win matches.
Since last year, Alcaraz and Sinner shared the Grand Slam trophies between them. The Italian won two Australian Open and one US Open, while Alcaraz took home the French Open and Wimbledon.
I think now the Slams are more open because what are the chances that someone like me or [Jo-Wilfried] Tsonga was going to beat Rafa and then the next day he had to play Novak and then the next Federer.
Djokovic last won a Grand Slam title at the 2023 US Open and since then, he reached just one Major final, at the 2024 Wimbledon which he lost to Alcaraz. At this year’s Australian Open, he withdrew from his semifinal match due to an injury.
The Serb has so far in the season lost three consecutive matches twice and is searching for his 100th ATP trophy, last winning a title at the 2024 Paris Olympics by beating Alcaraz. After losing his opening-round matches in Monte Carlo and Rome, the 37-year-old withdrew from the Italian Open. He will next be participating at the Geneva Open where last year, he lost in the semifinals.
/techfirstnow/media/agency_attachments/kATjCXskQdJKkXN0OuqW.png)