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Nick Kyrgios' argument against equal prize money at Grand Slam tournaments has sparked discontent among tennis fans.
Kyrgios recently laid out his objections to Major tournaments offering equal prize money. The Australian argued that women playing best-of-three-sets matches while men played best-of-five had led to an apparent disparity in match duration.
The 28-year-old cited Elina Svitolina playing for only "40 minutes" at the Australian Open compared to his "four hours" on the court and receiving the same amount of prize money as an example.
"I played for four hours at the A.O. (Australian Open), then (Elina) Svitolina played for like 40 minutes and we both got paid the same," Nick Kyrgios told The Athletic.
It is worth mentioning that at the 2022 Australian Open, the latest edition where both Kyrgios and Svitolina competed, the Ukrainian clocked around four hours and 46 minutes on the court. Kyrgios, meanwhile, was in action for just under five hours.
Nick Kyrgios' remarks did not sit well with tennis fans, one of whom called out the Aussie for mentioning Elina Svitolina in his argument against equal pay.
"Well, no one was stopping him from playing a shorter match. Also,he better leave Svitolina alone, she is out of his league," the fan commented.
Another fan claimed that Svitolina had likely also devoted significantly more time to training compared to Kyrgios.
"And I bet she put in 1000's more hours of practice and training than he did," the fan wrote.
"Man discovers professional sport he plays compensates players on outcomes and not time on court," another user posted.
Here are a few more reactions from fans:
Nick Kyrgios pulls out of Australian Open 2024
Nick Kyrgios recently announced his decision to withdraw from the 2024 Australian Open, marking his second consecutive absence from his home Slam.
Following various injury setbacks that kept him sidelined for almost the entire 2023 season, the Australian revealed that he wasn't fully recovered, leading to his decision to skip the Melbourne Slam.
"[I have] obviously had a really tough year with injury, had that knee surgery and came back a little too soon, [which] set me back a little bit [and I have] had some wrist issues. So, this is a very disappointing time for me, but I won’t be able to compete at the 2024 Australian Open," Nick Kyrgios said on his OnlyFans account (via The Age).
The 2022 Wimbledon finalist fondly looked back on his cherished memories of competing at the Australian Open and expressed regret over missing out on the action next year.
"Obviously, [this is] heartbreaking. I’ve had so many amazing memories there, and I just want to really get back to playing at the top of my game and doing it right, and I need a little more time," he added.
Nevertheless, Kyrgios disclosed to stay involved in next year's event by taking on a commentary role and engaging with fans during the tournament.
"Even though I won’t be there competing this year at the AO, I still will be around, commentating matches, being around – I’ve got some special things planned, so please be excited still. You know I’ll be there and hopefully see all the fans. I’ll see you there," he said.
The 2024 Australian Open is scheduled to be held from January 14-28.
