2022 Wimbledon finalist, Australian Nick Kyrgios, revealed that he never dreamed of achieving greatness in tennis. Instead, his primary goal was to use the sport to lift his family out of poverty.
I didn`t even really like the sport. My father came by boat from Greece, and my mother lived in the slums of Malaysia. I understood very early on that this was a way to take care of my family. That was my only goal. I didn`t care about Grand Slams or anything else. I played because I made good money and just wanted to help my family. My friends and I wanted to provide for our families.
And, you know, sometimes I think people say, `Oh, he doesn`t take it seriously,` but I don`t have the personality of an Alcaraz, Sinner, or Federer. I mean, those guys are generational athletes. The way they carry themselves all the time is almost perfect. I know that`s not me. That wasn`t my goal either. My parents will never have to worry about bills again. I wouldn`t change anything about my career. I had so much fun.
Additionally, Kyrgios once again commented on the recent doping controversy surrounding world No. 1 Italian Jannik Sinner. Kyrgios argued that players at Sinner`s level pay their support teams substantial amounts and cannot possibly be unaware of activities like receiving injections.
Just because someone said so doesn`t mean it`s true. What does it mean `Sinner didn`t use any performance-enhancing drugs`? What do you mean by that? I`ll tell you straight up. So you guys actually believe he`s the world No. 1? He`s the number one in the world. He`s like, I don`t know, Nikola Jokic, right? If you compare him to the NBA. And you think he`s paying his physio hundreds of thousands of dollars, man? He`s paying this person hundreds of thousands of dollars, and this physio is just gonna carry around some scalpel without any protection? Just hanging around somewhere. Cuts his finger, then rubs massage cream on it. But you`re paying him hundreds of thousands…
Man, I pay my physio that kind of money to look after my body based on years of experience and research, so these things don`t happen. He`s the number one in the world. You think he didn`t know anything? Do you really believe that level of naivety is possible at this level? These guys are insanely meticulous, brother. They don`t even drink alcohol, not a drop – and you`re telling me they `didn`t know`? Get out of here.
And then you think it`s just a coincidence that the ATP CEO is Italian, and he`s retired now? Just like that. Why is he retiring now? PTPA is suing ATP. And then he`s like, `Oh, it`s time for me to retire.` Why the sudden departure?
Kyrgios said on The Changeover Podcast.
