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Speaking about his bad-boy image in the tennis world, Nick Kyrgios recently slammed the media for only focusing on his moments of frustration on the court. He claimed that they consistently ignore the hard work that he puts in.
The Australian ace has been one of the most controversial players in recent times. While a section of fans and the media deride him for his aggressive behavior on the court, others like him for the same reason. Those in his corner believe it's the aggression that draws new fans to the sport.
Kyrgios, who was fined $32,500 at the 2022 US Open, was a guest on The JBK Show, hosted by comedians Jon-Bernard Kairouz and Nicholas Kairouz. When asked if the fines bothered him, he said that not since he was told that the money goes to charity.
"Well, I'm not thinking about it but I got told that it goes to charity," Kyrgios said. "As soon as they told me that, I was just trigger happy, I was just f*cking smacking [gestures smashing a racquet]."
The World No. 21 recalled his 2022 US Open quarterfinal loss against Karen Khachanov, where he smashed two racquets at the end of the match. He said that out of the four hours of match footage, the media decided to focus on him, venting his frustration.
"It's unfair, in a way, because a match can go on for hours like at the US Open in the recent past, I played a match that went on for four hours, and the media showed the last 30 seconds of me smashing a racquet. That's what they choose to put out globally," he said.
"It's like what happened to the other four-hour segment when I was trying my nuts off at 2 am in the morning. They just choose to show when I'm getting frustrated," he added.
Kyrgios further stated that he was a normal person and that the media had a role in maligning his image in the public eye.
"It's hard. It gets so crazy like people on the street think I'm just like the craziest guy ever and they'll just look at me and wait for me to do something insane. I'm literally just a normal guy. So yeah, the media has definitely painted a bit of a picture," he added.
Nick Kyrgios to face Roman Safiullin in Australian Open 2023 R1
Nick Kyrgios will start his 2023 Australian Open campaign against Russia's Roman Safiullin next week. It will be the first meeting on the tour between the two players.
If the Australian keeps advancing, he could face Holger Rune and Andrey Rublev in the third and fourth rounds. Novak Djokovic will likely be waiting for him in the quarterfinals.
If Kyrgios manages to reach the semifinals, Casper Ruud could be his opponent. One of Rafael Nadal, Stefanos Tsitsipas, and Daniil Medvedev is expected to reach the finals from the other half of the draw. The path to the crown will not be easy for Nick Kyrgios.
