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Nick Kyrgios and Thanasi Kokkinakis kicked off their doubles campaign at the 2022 US Open by defeating France’s Hugo Gaston and Italy’s Lorenzo Musetti on Thursday.
The two-hour first-round match saw the Australian pair fight back from a set down to beat their opponents 4-6, 6-3, 6-4 at the Louis Armstrong Stadium. However, an interesting statement from Kyrgios grabbed the attention of fans after the match ended. Speaking to the press, the 27-year-old stated that instead of sweating it out during practice sessions, he would prefer to play doubles, which was lucrative and also made his girlfriend Costeen Hatzi happy.
"Honestly, I’d rather play doubles than practice. It’s good money too and makes my girlfriend happy," Kyrgios said.
There were multiple moments of frustration for both sides during the match, with Kyrgios and Kokkinakis smashing their racquets to the ground a couple of times. Although the Australians broke Gaston and Musetti twice, they had 13 other chances where they failed to convert. They finished with eight aces, compared to just two from their opponents.
Kyrgios and Kokkinakis will face Sweden's Andre Goransson and Japan's Yoshihito Nishioka in the second round on Saturday. The Australian duo are on the hunt for their second Grand Slam doubles title after lifting their first at the 2022 Australian Open.
Nick Kyrgios fined for spitting on the court during his R2 singles match
During his second-round match against France's Benjamin Bonzi at the Louis Armstrong Stadium, Nick Kyrgios led by two sets to love and was on his way to a comfortable win. However, his frustration took over when he failed to hold his serve at 4-4 in the third set.
The 2022 Wimbledon finalist spat in the direction of his team, consisting of his coaches and his girlfriend Costeen Hatzi. The 23rd-seeded Australian could be seen shouting at them, asking them to either be more supportive or leave the stadium.
"Go home if you’re not going to f***ing support me, bro. You’re not a f***ing spectator," Kyrgios yelled.
Kyrgios won the match 7-6(3), 6-4, 4-6, 6-4 to advance to the third round, where he will face American wildcard entrant J.J. Wolf. However, the 25th-ranked player was imposed with a fine of $7,500 by the tournament organizers for his disrespectful on-court behavior on Wednesday.
This is not the first time that Nick Kyrgios has done something similar. After winning his first-round match at the 2022 Wimbledon Championships, the Australian spat in the direction of a spectator, who he said was disrespectful.
