‘In the palm of my hand’: Kyrgios is Open to qualifying
Murray Wenzel |
Nick Kyrgios reckons he’d slog it out in Australian Open qualifying if that’s the path offered to him, adamant he won’t “butter it up” and take a main-draw wildcard this summer.
The 2022 Wimbledon finalist has played just six tour matches in more than three years but has recovered from career-threatening knee and wrist injuries and is hoping to play this month’s Melbourne Park grand slam.
He’ll feature at the Brisbane International next week, a tournament the former world No.13 won in 2018, as a wildcard.
A first-round match against American world No.60 Aleksandar Kovacevic awaits as early as Sunday. He will also play doubles with Thanasi Kokkinakis.
Kyrgios has lost his injury-protected ranking and now sits at No.671, relying on wildcards for starts but adamant he’s got nothing to prove.
The 30-year-old insists he won’t “crawl” for an Australian Open berth and said he’d even join the swath of local hopes in qualifying from January 13 if Tennis Australia makes him do it the hard way.
“Potentially, yeah …. I’m going to get through this week and whatever AO brings, AO brings,” Kyrgios, who is currently slated to play in the Kooyong Classic from January 13, said on Saturday.
“That’s two week’s away. So many things can change.”
It’s not a simple call for Tennis Australia (TA) either, with Australian favourite Jordan Thompson – a top-30 player in late 2024 – currently entered in qualifying and essentially competing with Kyrgios for a wildcard after his ranking slipped outside the top 100 last year.
A Kyrgios qualifying tilt would give the low-key fixtures a huge boost in prominence and ensure the mercurial Australian walked the walk after saying he wouldn’t accept a main-draw wildcard unless he can deliver fans “the Kyrgios experience”.
“I could have a phone call (with TA) and be like, ‘I feel 100 per cent; I’m going to make a final of a grand slam, that no other (male) player in Australia has done in the last 19 years’,” he said.
“I could just butter it up and take it, but I want to prove to myself first.
“And I don’t want to be that type of player that takes opportunities away from young people that have been really working towards this moment.”
He said an injured John Millman’s decision to transfer his French Open wildcard in 2013 and gift an 18-year-old Kyrgios a grand slam debut still sat with him.
“That’s where everything kicked off for me; my whole career after that moment, I became a different player,” he said.
“(If I’m not ready) I’d rather give it to someone that’s earnt the wildcard and is in tip-top shape.”
Kyrgios, who lost in the first round in Brisbane and at the Australian Open last year, said he felt “as good as possible” after exhibition matches in New York and Dubai.
“The last month has been pretty outrageous; a kid from Canberra selling out Madison Square Garden, Dubai. Pretty crazy,” he said when asked if he was still enjoying the sport.
“I see the crowds packed in (and think), wow, maybe I did actually do a decent job. I’m pretty proud of myself.
“I’ve literally had this sport in the palm of my hand the last couple of years.
“Every move I make it’s always commented on.
“I have no agenda – don’t care what my ranking is, what titles I win – I want to go out and put on a show, and ultimately that’s what I’ll go down as.
“A bit of a chaotic mess, but an entertainer at the end of the day.”
AAP
