“They can play on clay all year,” Nick Kyrgios points out the privilege European players get in scheduling unlike the rest of the world
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Nick Kyrgios
For a change, Nick Kyrgios has shown remarkable consistency this season and has been playing some amazing tennis. He skipped the clay-court season but before that, had a couple of good runs at Indian Wells and Houston. He then started the grass-court season with a semifinal outing at Stuttgart last week where he lost to Andy Murray.
This week he Halle, he stunned second seed Stefanos Tsitsipas in the Round of 16 and followed it up with a convincing victory over Pablo Carreno Busta. But in the semifinal, he lost to 5th seed Hubert Hurkacz in three tight sets 4-6,7-6(2),7-6(4). He has played some really clean tennis and courtesy of that, he has been on a rise in the rankings.
At Halle, Kyrgios spoke about the way in which the ATP calendar is made. He pointed out that European players can play on clay all year round and easily finish in the top 70 in the world because most of the tournaments are held in Europe and players don’t have to worry about being away for a long time. He then said that an Australian player has to travel six months a year and is forced to stay away from his family. He also added that if he had six grass-court tournaments Down Under, he would never leave the country. He emphasized that due to this chaos, he doesn’t even recognize some top 100 players.
“European players can play on clay all year round and easily finish in the top 70 in the world. They don’t even need to be away from home for too long, whereas an Aussie player has to travel six months a year, not see his family or see his friends. If I had six grass courts in Australia, I would never leave the country. I don’t even know some of the people in the top 100, I’m serious. I do not know them,” he said.
Also Read: Rafael Nadal’s NFTs to be launched commemorating his astounding 22 Grand Slam victories
Can Nick Kyrgios go deep in Wimbledon?
Given his current form on grass, Kyrgios will fancy his chances for a deeper run at Wimbledon. He has a very apt game for grass and thrives on the surface as well. He knows how to beat big names at the AELTC and with a help of a good draw, he can realistically reach the business end of the tournament.
The only thing that will go against him is that he won’t be seeded at Wimbledon. If he would’ve won his semifinal at Halle, he would’ve been seeded but unfortunately for him, and other players, he won’t be seeded. This means that he could be drawn against any of the big names in the opening rounds- be it Novak Djokovic, Rafael Nadal, or Stefanos Tsitsipas.
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Lakshya Chopra
(2595 Articles Published)