Stefanos Tsitsipas on Nick Kyrgios: "He likes the attention"
Stefanos Tsitsipas commented on the Australian bad boy Nick Kyrgios in the No Challenges Remaining Podcast - and at the same time, his understanding of the behavior of the world number 47. asserts.
by Michael Rothschädl
last edit:
Jan 29, 2021, 11:40 am
It was a curious "gift" that Stefanos Tsitsipas gave his tennis colleague Nick Kyrgios for his 25th birthday. The Greek posted a photo of himself on Instagram, on which he was supposed to hold up a cardboard sign with the words "Call me" and a phone number. Some curious people who were supposed to call this number should have been somewhat surprised when it turned out to be the private phone number of birthday boy Kyrgios.
What indicates a rather close relationship between the two, Tsitsipas now relativizes in the No-Challenges-Remaining-Podcast, from which The Age quotes: "I would not say that we have a very close friendship, but calls me from time to time FaceTime on, at completely random times. Sometimes at 1 am. I don't understand, "said the Greek. Exactly this unpredictability is something that defines the Australian: "He has his own personality, which it turns out some people love."
On the other hand, Kyrgios, with his sometimes idiosyncratic appearances on and off the court, has also upset a number of tennis fans against him, who primarily criticize his - sometimes nonexistent - attitude. Stefanos Tsitsipas, on the other hand, sees the behavior of the world number 47. not a big problem: "I think that's perfectly fine and our sport needs it. It's entertainment. It's fun. It's something unique and special that not many players have."
Kyrgios "hates to lose"
On the other hand, there is a limit that even Kyrgios should not cross, as the world number six emphasizes: "As long as he is not disrespectful," said the 22-year-old. "He may have been a couple of times and it's not cool, but if he respects the game and does the right thing, it's really fun to watch." Nevertheless, Kyrgios is the "black sheep of the ATP", as the Greek explains. Precisely because he "likes to do things that cannot be foreseen. He likes attention, you can't deny that." But that is completely normal, emphasizes Tsitsipas. "There's nothing wrong with that."
Stefanos Tsitsipas vehemently contradicts the statement that the Australian takes tennis lightly and is not really hungry for success and has a suitable example from his shared experiences with the 25-year-old: "He is very hyperactive. Hates to lose. Believe me. He just hates to lose. I didn't expect it myself, "said the Greek of the moments in the locker room when the two lost their double in Washington in 2019. In the same tournament, the Australian was supposed to stand on the court with Tsitsipas in a singles - and defeat him wafer-thin on the way to the title. One of several examples in which Kyrgios should also show his potential as a tennis player.