Australian tennis star Nick Kyrgios has threatened to quit tennis so many times in the past that his announcements rarely seem to cause much of a stir amongst his fans any more.
On Monday night, the 21-year-old surprised many when he called an impromptu, two-minute Q&A session with his fans on Twitter ahead of his US Open first-round match against Britain’s Aljaz Bedene on Wednesday morning.
Kyrgios has previously stated his desire to leave the sport before he turns 27, but on Monday, he responded to a fan by saying that if he won this year’s US Open — which began that same night in Flushing Meadows, New York — he would walk away for good.
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“If I won the US Open now, u would never see me again,” he said.
Kyrgios also revealed he is in love with Croatian-Australian girlfriend Ajla Tomljanovic — who is also a tennis player– and did not shirk a question on whether players are allowed to smoke marijuana on the professional tour.
Kyrgios was also featured in a front-page feature story in the New York Times magazine where he stated he is interested in quitting tennis to play basketball.
The No. 14-seed’s future thus remains as uncertain as ever.
He also appeared to have a laugh at Australian Olympic Committee Chef de Mission Kitty Chiller.
Bedene, who is ranked 77th in the world, stated he is happy to let Kyrgios beat himself when they face off in the first round on Court 6.
When asked who he would pay money to watch play, Kyrgios tweeted “Monfils, me” making reference to world No.12 Gael Monfils of France.
Krygios’s previous best result at Flushing Meadows is the third round in 2014.
Undoubtedly one of the game’s most exciting young talents, Kyrgios is also known for his on-court antics and tempestuous personality.
He smashed three racquets in a row during a defeat in Cincinnati this month and after losing to Andy Murray at Wimbledon admitted to preparing for the match by playing video games.
Bedene, the Slovenian-born British No. 3, has never gone past the second round at Flushing Meadows but believes he can capitalise if Kyrgios begins to waver.
“The best players always take advantage,” Bedene said.
“You have to stay focused and you know those games and those points will come. You just have to grab them.
“It’s not easy because it gets quite entertaining. It’s funny. It gets interesting, as a player you want to enjoy the match. All those different emotions going through and then a player is playing tricks.
“It’s not easy to stay focused but you have to try to play the best you can.
“Either he can play great tennis or he can go down. He is his biggest enemy.”
Caption:MONTREAL, ON – AUGUST 11: Nick Kyrgios of Australia hits a return against Gael Monfils and teammate Jo-Wilfried Tsonga of France during day two of the Rogers Cup at Uniprix Stadium on August 11, 2015 in Montreal, Quebec, Canada. (Photo by Minas Panagiotakis/Getty Images)
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