Nick Kyrgios slams authorities over empty seats at Jannik Sinner’s Miami Open match

The Aussie mercurial was upset with the poor marketing done around the sport as disappointing visuals from the Miami Masters surfaced online.

Nick Kyrgios slams authorities over empty seats at Jannik Sinner’s Miami Open match

Jannik Sinner and Nick Kyrgios (Images via IMAGO, X)

World No. 3 Jannik Sinner had a tough outing at the 2024 Miami Masters in the third round. Up against 25th-seeded Tallon Griekspoor, he had to come from a set down to advance. Despite making a good comeback, to the misfortune of many, the stadium was filled only partially.

The second seed won the match 5-7, 7-5, 6-1 in two hours and 23 minutes to reach the fourth round. With the two players in contrasting form currently, not many expected Sinner to be tested like this. But it was the Italian’s aggression and discipline that saw him sail through eventually. 

YouTube video

Sinner hit 15 aces to Griekspoor‘s 11 while also hitting 37 winners to the Dutchman’s 27. The Italian created nine break chances for him but could convert only three of those. In contrast, World No. 26 was able to break just once from the two breakpoint chances he converted. 

FS Video

In what was one of the best matches of the third round, it was disheartening to see not many spectators in the stand. From visuals captured early in the game, the majority of the seats were empty on the biggest court of the Hard Rock Stadium.

The image quickly went viral on social media and also caught the attention of former World No. 13 Nick Kyrgios. The Aussie was quick to comment on it, pinning the blame on the tennis authorities for poor promotional and marketing activities. 

Unfortunately tennis hasn’t been marketed or been done the right way
Tweeted Kyrgios.

The promotion of the sport has been the subject of great controversy lately. The Tour officials tried their luck with Netflix and created ‘Break Point’ but the show was discontinued after two seasons. 

Despite behind-the-scenes action and candid interviews with players, the expected results were not achieved. World No. 2 Carlos Alcaraz recently announced a Netflix docu-series solely on him set to release next year. But other than this, no big activity is currently planned for tennis, unlike other sports. 

Fans join Nick Kyrgios to decode the actual reason for the poor attendance

With Kyrgios reacting to it, the image got extra attention as social media users tried to decipher the reason. With Sinner, the reigning Australian Open winner and one of the most in-form players right now, a better turnout was certainly expected. 

Nick Kyrgios
Nick Kyrgios (Via Imago)

The reasons were, however, linked more to the authorities and management than the players on the court. Many others attributed it to the simultaneous scheduling of March Madness, the NCAA college basketball event. Many others blamed the skyrocketing ticket prices on fewer people attending the event.

Sharing a wide spectrum of reactions online, here’s what fans have to say:

https://twitter.com/Shakenstirred8/status/1772266058210279542

Promotion of the sport has been an issue for a while now. With the veterans now in the final stages of their careers, the authorities need to quickly find ways to keep fans engaged. However, how they will achieve it remains a question. 

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