“My girlfriend wants to see Paris, so why not?,” Nick Kyrgios reveals the reason behind his appearance at the French Open after a 5-year hiatus
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Nick Kyrgios
Never to shy away from providing his unfiltered opinion, Nick Kyrgios is certainly known to speak his mind, even if it lands him in a world of controversies (and fines). One of the most criticized players, Nick Kyrgios’s antics have led many fans and tennis legends to even question his love and dedication for the sport.
Despite always being in the vortex of scandals, the Australian is known to make brash statements. At one time, he had made his disdain for the prestigious French Open, commenting that the event “sucked” and it should be removed from the tennis calendar. To further prove his point, he has skipped the Grand Slam 5 years in a row. However, now it seems that love has made Kyrgios change his tune, as he recently announced his intention to take part in the event next year and revealed the reason behind his decision.
The 27-year-old who has claimed that he “doesn’t like clay at all” has been absent from the French major since 2018. Prior to that, he participated in the event 5 times, with his best performance being in third-round appearances in 2015 and 2016. After he bowed out of the first round of the Diriyah Tennis exhibition event, Kyrgios spoke to the press and announced his intention of playing in Paris next year.
“Yes, I’m playing the French Open, my girlfriend wants to see Paris, so why not?” he said, making tennis fans muse that maybe after all this time, it is love that has compelled Kyrgios to participate in an event he clearly dislikes.
He went on “[I] pick up some more money (at Paris) … I’ve played well on clay, I’ve beaten Federer, Wawrinka. I’ve played a final on clay (Estoril, 2015) but usually at that time of year, I like spending time at home because if I don’t, then I’m travelling for eight months a year, it’s too much.” He reiterated “But she hasn’t seen Paris – so why not?”, ‘she’ being his girlfriend Costeen Hatzi.
Nick Kyrgios’s thoughts on the French Open and clay courts
The opinionated Aussie talked about the large number of events that take place on a clay surface, and the large number of participants he encounters at such events. “There’s too many events on clay, I’ve said this over and over again. There are players in the top 100 who I don’t even know their faces or their names, and they’ve only played on clay, it’s crazy” he said.
Kyrgios also spoke about how sports bring joy to people, and his wish to see the best players at the tournament. “Sport brings people together, and I don’t think it should divide people – I think it should have all the top tennis players there, having fun and putting on a show.”
He further added, “I want guys like Medevev, Rublev, Khachanov, some of our best players, at tournaments.”
Further expanding the point, he said “As a competitor, I want to be playing at all the tournaments with all the best players, and I think Australia has noticed that. Coming up to the Australian Open, we want Novak (Djokovic) there this time, and that’s what we’ve done. We’ve said, ‘look the sport’s better with these players, why not have them there?'”
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Aradhana Nayak
(189 Articles Published)