In the Tennis World, as in any other Sports, there are characters.Ilie Năstase a Romanian was a great player who often was in the news for his temperament too.There was a flare-up in a match with John Mcenroe, another great player, again in news, many a times, for losing his temperament unlike the cool demenaour of Bjorn Borg and Ivan Lendl.Now Nick Kyrgios gets the limelight often.
In case you are not
following,at the Australian Open 2018
in Round of 32, Kyrgios defeated
Jo-Wilfried Tsonga in four sets. Kyrgios served 36 aces
in that match.Earlier in 2014
Wimbledon at the Central Court Nick Kyrgios defeated Rafael Nadal 7-6(5), 5-7, 7-6(5), 6-3 – a
shocker as a 19-year-old wild card, Kyrgiosmade headlines for saving nine match points in a second-round win over
Richard Gasquet.
Nicholas Hilmy
Kyrgios is an Australian professional tennis player ranked recently at No. 30
in the world in men's singles by the Association of Tennis Professionals (ATP),
the second highest-ranked Australian in
the ATP rankings. Kyrgios has won six ATP Titles and has reached eight ATP
finals, including the 2017 Cincinnati Masters. In his junior career, Kyrgios
won the boys' singles event at the 2013 Australian Open and the boys' doubles
event at the 2013 Wimbledon Championships. Kyrgios has a reputation as a talented but
mercurial player who frequently gets into trouble for his on-court conduct.
In Aug 2019, Nick
Kyrgios’s feud with umpire Fergus Murphy boiled over during an explosive outing
at the Cincinnati Masters that left the Australian player $AU167,000 lighter in
the pocket and facing a possible suspension from the ATP. Kyrgios flared up at
the end of the second set and never regained his composure, breaking two
rackets during a bathroom break Murphy had refused him permission to take,
before appearing to call the umpire a “fucking fool” at the conclusion of the
match. The $US113,000 fine represents 10% of the player’s earnings for the year
in which he has won two titles – the Acapulco International in March andCiti Open in Washington.
This
is no post on his negatives or his Tennis abilities but something good about
him.Nick Kyrgios has put his hand up to
help the victims of raging bushfires in his country by promising a $200
donation for every ace he serves during the home summer season.More than 1,000
homes have been destroyed by the fires fueled by searing temperatures and high
winds, with Kyrgios’ hometown of Canberra experiencing its worst air quality
and residents have been told to stay indoors.
“I’m kicking off
the support for those affected by the fires,” world No. 30 Kyrgios wrote on
Twitter. “I’ll be donating $200 per ace that I hit across all the events I play
this summer.” Eager to help, Kyrgios’ ATP Cup teammate Alex de Minaur raised
the stakes and announced he will donate $250 for every ace off his racket
during the Australian swing.“I will go $250 per ace, just because I don’t think
I’ll be hitting as many aces as you mate,” the 20-year-old de Minaur tweeted. John
Millman, ranked 48 in the world, also promised to donate $100 for every ace
during the Australian summer.
Earlier on
Wednesday, Kyrgios had tweeted to Tennis Australia and proposed a charity
exhibition match to help the bushfire victims. The Australian’s suggestion was
liked by more than 12,500 users. “C’mon TennisAustralia surely we can do a pre
AustralianOpen exho to raise funds for those affected by the fires?” tweeted
the 24-year-old, who has been handed a 16-week suspended ban in September after
a series of outbursts. “It’s pretty tragic what’s going on, especially with my
hometown, Canberra, being under a bit of smoke, the most hazardous smoke in the
world at the moment,” Kyrgios said on Thursday at an ATP Cup news conference in
Brisbane.
“It’s obviously sad
for everything that’s going on... There’s no rain predicted there for the next
four months, so it doesn’t look like the fires are going to slow down anytime
soon, which is pretty sad.” Tennis Australia CEO Craig Tiley has since
confirmed that a multi-city fundraiser campaign will be launched to support
those who have been impacted by the wildfires.
Kyrgios was part of
the Australian team that reached the quarter-finals of the Davis Cup in
November. Meanwhile Australia's cricketers are planning tributes and
fund-raising. They and opponents New Zealand will wear black armbands in
tribute to those affected by widespread bushfires in Australia when the teams
meet in Friday's third Test in Sydney. There will also be a minute's applause
to honor the country's firefighters.
Cricketers Justin
Langer and Tim Paine released a joint letter to local media to express their
sympathy and solidarity with the country's firefighters. "We pray
conditions improve, the fires ease and the rains come," said Australia
coach Justin Langer and captain Tim Paine in a joint letter."And, above all else, we hope all
Australians pull together and help each other through this incredibly difficult
time." The pair also said the firefighters were the "true heroes of
every summer".
At least 18 people
have died in blazes across the country. Cricket Australia also announced there
will be a fund-raising drive for the Australian Red Cross Disaster Relief and
Recovery Fund during one-day matches between Australia and New Zealand in
Sydney in March, while the team's shirts from the Boxing Day Test win over the
Black Caps are being auctioned off.Australia
head into the final match of the three-Test series with an unassailable 2-0
lead. The match may be hampered by the smoke from fires that have spread to the
outskirts of Sydney and umpires have the option to suspend play if smoke
affects air quality or visibility.
With regards – S.
Sampathkumar
3rd Jan
2020.
