'%20x='0'%20y='0'%20height='100%25'%20width='100%25'%20%0A%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20xlink%3Ahref='data:image/jpg;base64,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'%3E%3C/image%3E%3C/svg%3E)
Nick Kyrgios and Ashleigh Barty lead the nominations for the 2022 Newcombe Medal. Alex de Minaur, Ajla Tomljanovic, Matthew Ebden, Max Purcell and Storm Hunter are the other nominees.
The award recognizes members of the Australian tennis fraternity who have excelled during the year. It is named after tennis legend John Newcombe, who won a total of 26 Grand Slam titles across singles and doubles. The winner will be announced on December 12.
Barty has already won the award four times, including last year when she shared the honors with Dylan Alcott. She won her third Grand Slam title at the Australian Open at the start of the year, becoming the first home player since Chris O'Neil in 1978 to do so. However, she shocked the world by retiring from the sport just a few weeks after her triumph in Melbourne.
Nick Kyrgios, meanwhile, enjoyed a career-best season. He won the doubles title alongside Thanasi Kokkinakis at the Australian Open and finished as the runner-up at Wimbledon. Ajla Tomljanovic made the quarterfinals at Wimbledon and the US Open this year. In the latter, she also defeated Serena Williams to send her into retirement.
De Minaur was crucial in leading Australia to their first Davis Cup final since 2003. He also made it to the fourth round of the Australian Open and Wimbledon, while winning his sixth career title at the Atlanta Open.
Ebden and Purcell saved eight match points en route to their maiden Major title at Wimbledon earlier this year. Hunter won the mixed doubles title at the US Open, while also winning a host of other titles.
There's stiff competition for the award this time around as all the nominees have glittering resumes, and the organizers will have their work cut out shortlisting a winner.
Nick Kyrgios gets ready for the Diriyah Tennis Cup
Nick Kyrgios will be back in action at the Diriyah Tennis Cup, which will be held from December 8-10, just outside of Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. It will be his first time visiting the country and he is excited about exploring all it has to offer.
The exhibition event has managed to rope in plenty of top players for its second edition, including Grand Slam champions Daniil Medvedev, Stan Wawrinka and Dominic Thiem.
Alexander Zverev, Andrey Rublev, Stefanos Tsitsipas, Taylor Fritz and Cameron Norrie are the other players who are set to participate. Zverev hasn't played since sustaining an injury at the French Open earlier this year, so it remains to be seen if the German is finally ready to compete or not.
Also Check Out: Richard Gasquet Net Worth
