“Why is there still clay?” Nick Kyrgios once again voices his opinion about clay court tournaments
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Nick Kyrgios
Nick Kyrgios is an immensely talented tennis player, however, sometimes he has more known for his behaviour and comments on and off the court. The Australian once again voiced his opinion publicly on twitter when he replied to a tweet posted by ATP Tour regarding semifinal lineups at the ongoing tournaments in Gstaad, Umag and Los Cabos. Two out of three of these tournaments, namely, Gstaad and Umag are clay court tournaments.
Kyrgios has not played a clay court Slam since 2018 and opted out from playing a single tournament through the clay court season this year by straight playing at Wimbledon. He once again complained about the surface by replying to the ATP Tour’s tweet.
“Bro why is there still clay, bringing in absolutely zero fans, zero crowds, zero hype. It’s detrimental to the sport. My God. Excluding Gasquet, because he’s playing for just points, this is just sad man. No wonder we are going backwards” said Kyrgios.
The Australian replied to a journalist saying, “Sheesh we agree on something haha. But for real, I’m a tennis fan and I’d rather turn the tv off”.
“Wimbledon is the best tournament in the world. Get rid of the clay man, who likes the clay. The fact that I’m here right now and I have to go to Paris in a couple of days. The French Open sucks compared to this place. Absolutely sucks,” Kyrgios had earlier said.
“Clay court isn’t really tennis for me. It doesn’t ask for creativity at all. It’s all about fitness and who can last the longest” said Kyrgios three years ago.
“He’s absolutely entitled to it. I just have a different view”: Paul McNamee on Kyrgios’s dislike towards clay court
“I just see that as a shame that he’ll never feel that joy that I felt on it … the nuances and the unlimited options it gives you as a player. It’s like playing chess, right. Nick has the ability to do that. He likes commanding the court, so that’s just disappointing and I think it hurts him now not playing as much on clay as he used to” said former Australian tennis player, Paul McNamee.
“He has expressed, very directly, his dislike for it. And unfortunately some disrespect for clay-court players. Where I disagree with him is that he thinks that the aristocracy, you know, of the sport is on the faster surfaces where in fact – as the Europeans know – the aristocracy is on clay” McNamee said.
“You haven’t been accepted as a top player until you conquer clay. It goes against the grain with the history of tennis, but that’s his prerogative and he’s entitled to his opinion. He’s absolutely entitled to it. I just have a different view.”
“It’s understanding all the nuances of the sport. If you don’t conquer that – it’s like an American golfer who never gets to understand links golf. The great Americans go there and conquer it. Because it’s a different form of the game, and it tests all manner of skills, that are not tested on a hardcourt. It will only be to your benefit. You may not win Roland Garros, but you understand the game better and you’ll be more respected in Europe” he added.
Also read: Nick Kyrgios and Stefanos Tsitsipas indulge in social media banter and debate
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