Nick Kyrgios is all set to join the ATP Finals as an analyst with the Tennis Channel starting next week in Turin. And this new addition has gotten mixed responses from the fans.
The Nitto ATP Finals is the most prestigious tournament after the Grand Slams. It is the final tournament of the ATP tour in which the top eight singles and doubles players compete. This year the Nitto ATP Finals is taking place in Turin and will be the 54th edition of the tournament.
Tennis Channel, a live streaming platform for ATP Finals announced that Nick Kyrgios will be joining the analyst’s desk during the tournament to give insights.
The 28-year-old Australian tennis player has not played any tennis in 2023 except just one ATP match. He has been out due to injuries. He had to pull out of the 2023 Australian Open and the 2023 French Open. He played his only match this year in Stuttgart, but a wrist injury later forced him to pull out of the rest of the tournaments this year.
He is an exceptional talent and has received huge praise for his entertaining style of play. He has the best percentage of first-serve success. But his on-court behavior is what pushes him often into controversy. He is very often seen arguing with the umpires, trash-talking, and racket-wrecking.
“Nick Kyrgios (@NickKyrgios), whose electric style of play and straight-to-the-point conversational approach have endeared him to millions of fans around the world, is joining Tennis Channel as an analyst during its coverage of the ATP Finals November 12-19.”
— Jon Wertheim (@jon_wertheim) November 7, 2023
Jon Wertheim from the Tennis Channel took to X, and announced the news of Nick Kyrgios joining them for the ATP Finals as an analyst. People were quick to question Nick’s hiring for the role and his integrity as an analyst. There were also some who were excited to see their favorite player on the screen again even if not playing.
Nick Kyrgios reacts to Iga Swiatek’s comments on WTA Finals’ “empty” stands
Nick Kyrgios reacted to Iga Swiatek’s comments on empty seats at the WTA Finals.
The 2023 WTA Finals in Cancun concluded last week and Iga Swiatek won the Title and reached the No.1 spot in WTA rankings. It was an on-court interview after one of her group matches she mentioned the empty seats and requested people to show up. It was not an easy situation in Cancun for the players as well as the spectators, be it the wind, rains, or the late-night finishes of the matches. The players had to give their 100% to play and win in those situations so a little cheering from the crowd would help them a lot.
It was Kyrgios who took to X, and sarcastically responded “Merger” to her comment. It implied the ATP-WTA merger which has been in talks for some time now. The empty seats were mainly because of the delay made by WTA in finalizing the venue for the WTA Finals and thereby very small number of tickets were sold.
It was a similar case in 2022 when Texas was decided as the venue just four weeks before the tournament and only half of the tickets were sold.