Nick Kyrgios has not had the smoothest ride during his professional tennis career.
He burst on the scene as a teenager and defeated Rafael Nadal at the 2014 Wimbledon Championships.
Since then he has been involved in some controversial moments on court and made some divisive comments off of it, which have made him a polarising figure among tennis fans.
But regardless of one’s views on the 2022 Australian Open men’s doubles champion, one thing for sure, he garners attention.
One thing that means so much to Nick Kyrgios is his relationship with the Australian public. This is something the 29-year-old commented on during an appearance on the Louis Theroux podcast.
As mentioned above Kyrgios has a polarising relationship with fans, and his perception with his fellow Australians has changed over time, and for the better.
“At the start of my career it was very mixed and the middle stage it was probably more negative. But the last two or three years or my career has definitely changed,” Kyrgios said. “I feel like the nation is definitely on my side.
“I feel like they have gotten to know me more and feel like I am authentic and genuine and, yes, I am rough around the edges at times but I feel like my relationship with Australia now is much better than what it used to be, that’s for sure. People tend to forget that I have grown up here my entire life, so I am very Aussie.”
Australian tennis fans will soon see their compatriot play on home soil once again.
Kyrgios intends to return to action at the 2025 Australian Open, three years after he won the doubles title alongside Thanasi Kokkinakis.
He has not played since losing to Wu Yibing at the Stuttgart Open in June 2023. Kyrgios has played just one competitive match since 2022 after struggling with knee and wrist injuries, but he appears ready to return.
“I will be playing the Australian Open this summer,” Kyrgios told a panel at SXSW (South By Southwest) in Sydney.
“I just miss being out there playing in front of a home crowd. We’ve got such a crowd of guys at the moment like Alex de Minaur playing amazing tennis.”
Related Posts