Nick Kyrgios blasts ATP over key pre-US Open decision; fans divided on Wimbledon finalist's response

Nick Kyrgios is one of tennis’s most outspoken and unshy athletes, never hesitating to speak his mind about elements of the sport that displease him. His erratic temperament and willingness to not hold back has revealed itself on court as often as off it, often frustrating tennis fans with what can easily be perceived as his angry, immature behaviour during matches, or stubbornness and entitlement off it.

Kyrgios reached the finals of Wimbledon earlier this month, his best result at a Grand Slam, and finds himself in the spotlight because of it. Now taking a break at his home in the Bahamas before returning to action on the hard courts of Atlanta next week, as the American hard court swing begins with the US Open on the horizon, the Australian took to Twitter to vent his frustrations about clay court tournaments still being played in Europe.

In response to a tweet about the seedings at the ongoing ATP 250 tournament in Gstaad, Switzerland, Kyrgios wrote “Why is there clay leading up to the US Open swing…..”

Kyrgios has made his dislike for the surface evident in the past, not having played at Roland Garros in 7 years, although he claims he will next year. Moreover, he only played one clay court tournament this year, in Houston, which was his first in over three years.

Kyrgios is not the only top player to dislike clay, with world number one Daniil Medvedev also sparing no love for the surface. However, Medvedev has never complained about the scheduling of these tournaments, with the recognition that having clay courts adds some variety to the tour and presents more players with opportunities.

In a similar portion of the ATP calendar last year, Kyrgios had also taken to Twitter to make his displeasure known, including a malicious attack towards his colleague Richard Gasquet, as well as the events as a whole. Kyrgios wrote “Bro why is there still clay. Bringing in absolutely ZERO FANS, ZERO CROWDS. ZERO HYPE. It’s detrimental to the sport. My god. Excluding Gasquet, cuz he playing for points, this is just sad man. No wonder we are going backwards.”

The fans remain divided on Kyrgios' response:

While hard courts consist of the majority of the events on the ATP Tour, there are regularly over 20 clay tournaments a year as well, split into the South American swing following the Australian Open, the southern European swing before the French Open, and the northern European swing in a three-week period following Wimbledon. Since clay courts are outdoor events, their scheduling is decided by climate and chances of rain, leaving these tournaments little choice but to play in these time frames.

With Wimbledon now finished, Kyrgios having lost to Novak Djokovic in the finals, attentions will turn towards the US Open which begins on August 29. Before this, there will be two Masters 1000 events, in Cincinnati and Canada.

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