Emmanuel LANGELLIER, Media365: published on Thursday March 31, 2022 at 11:23 p.m.
While he has just been eliminated in the round of 16 at Indian Wells after a stormy match, Nick Kyrgios arouses the benevolence of the younger brother of Novak Djokovic.
Nick Kyrgios is far in the standings (74th), but he hasn’t stopped talking about him since the beginning of the year. The whimsical Australian recently had a good run at the Indian Wells Masters 1000, making his way to the quarter-finals after taking out two seeds (Federico Delbonis and Casper Ruud, Jannik Sinner had withdrawn in the 8th). Kyrgios had finally fallen in front of Rafael Nadal whom he had hung on for a long time (7-6, 5-7, 6-4 for the Spaniard). A game in which he threw his racquet uncontrollably and made inappropriate words, which resulted in a $25,000 fine. In Miami, the 26-year-old followed up with other major performances, each time paying for the scalps of Adrian Mannarino (7-6, 6-3), world number 7 Andrey Rublev ( 6-3, 6-0) and Fabio Fognini (6-2, 6-4), seeded number 31 in the Florida Masters 1000.
Two fines for Kyrgios in Indian Wells and Miami
Then Kyrgios was eliminated in the round of 16 by Jannik Sinner, very present this time and winner in two sets of a very stormy match (7-6, 6-3). Yet saying he was in “shape, at peace and happy”, the Australian, winner of the Australian Open in doubles at the start of the season, lost his mind once again. He clashed with referee Carlos Bernardes, received a penalty point and then a penalty game after smashing his racket on reaching his chair following the loss of the first set. Kyrgios then said he was the victim of injustice. Still sanctioned with a fine of 35,000 dollars for these new pranks, the one who was 13th in the world in 2016 could however be thanked by a certain Djokovic.
Djordje Djokovic: ‘I want to invite Nick Kyrgios to Belgrade to thank him for supporting Novak, Belgrade and Serbia’
Djokovic, by his first name Djordje, who is none other than the younger brother of Novak and the director of the ATP 250 tournament in Belgrade which will be played on clay from April 18 to 24. In January, when the world number 1 was in the storm and in the sights of the Australian leaders for not being vaccinated as the Australian Open approached, Kyrgios had defended Novak Djokovic, who had not been able to finally participate in the first Grand Slam of the season. “I want to invite Nick Kyrgios to Belgrade to thank him for supporting Novak, Belgrade and Serbia. He’s an artist, he doesn’t mince his words and he will always express his opinion, whatever it may be. But above all he is a serious athlete and a tennis player. I hope he will come to the Serbian Open before finishing his career as a tennis player,” explained Djordje Djokovic (26) in the Serbian daily Republika. The same week will also be held the ATP 500 tournament in Barcelona. Will Kyrgios line up for one of the two events?
