Nick Kyrgios is known for his upfront behavior and witty remarks on the court and off the court as well. Recently in a social media Q&A interaction, fans asked Kyrgios about a possible face-off with Wimbledon winner Carlos Alcaraz, who lifted the cup after defeating the legendary player Novak Djokovic in a five-set thriller.
Kyrgios hailed the young star and fired a blockbuster challenge for 2024. He said, “Alcaraz is a sure force. I would have liked to see how he would have fared last year when he was healthy and playing out of the spotlight. Carlos Alcaraz, what do you think about doing an exhibition in Murcia next year?”
This is not the first time Nick has challenged a champion to play against him just for an 'exhibition'. Earlier in March this year, the Aussie had shared the clip of his 2017 Miami Open clash with Roger Federer as his Instagram story and captioned it, “Exhibition in Switzerland? Roger Federer, shall we do it again?” Kyrgios had lost that nail-biting battle of tie-breaks as Federer won 7-6 (9), 6-7 (9), 7-5 (5) in the 2017 Miami Open clash.
This year, Nick Kyrgios pulled out of Wimbledon the night before the tournament's start, citing a wrist injury, a year after he reached his first Grand Slam final at the All England Club. He has played just one match all season, after beginning 2023 by pulling out of the Australian Open because of an injured left knee that required arthroscopic surgery.
The 28-year-old Australian also missed the French Open, and now health issues will have caused him to sit out each of the year's first three majors — the events that feature the big stages and bright lights he seems to enjoy the most.
A year ago at Wimbledon, Kyrgios engaged in his usual sorts of antics — he spit in the direction of a fan after one match; got into a contentious back-and-forth during a victory against Stefanos Tsitsipas and a war of words afterward — while also dealing with a court case back home in Australia.
But he also played fantastically, far better than might have been suggested by his then-ranking of No. 40 or his failure to have been to a major quarterfinal in 7 1/2 years until those two weeks. He took the opening set of the 2022 championship match against Djokovic before the man who recently won his 23rd Grand Slam title prevailed 4-6, 6-3, 6-4, 7-6 (3).
(With AP inputs)
