Australian Open: Kyrgios requests cancellation of Australian Open before … to retract

Nick Kyrgios put an end to the controversy he had launched a few hours earlier. On Tuesday, the Australian called for the cancellation of the Australian Open, showing unexpected sympathy for Novak Djokovic, who declined to say if he was vaccinated against Covid-19. Then, the 90th player in the world backtracked in a video posted on his Instagram account. “To say that I would like the cancellation of the Australian Open is a sentence taken out of context. This is for the people of Melbourne who have known hell“, he clarified.

The Australian initially believed that the Grand Slam tournament, scheduled for January, should not be held, out of respect for the residents of the host city Melbourne, who have experienced 260 days of containment since the start of the pandemic and are still struggling to contain the virus.

“How long (Melbourne) has been confined? 275 days or something like that?“, he asked on his podcast, No Boundaries. The Minister of Sports of the State of Victoria, where Melbourne is located, reacted by saying” no “not be able to follow logic” de Nick Kyrgios. “The people of Melbourne, Victoria and frankly all Australians are absolutely hungry for big events, he told reporters. Our economy needs it, the morale of our state needs it“.

The tournament was held this year, but players were subject to a two-week hotel quarantine, public attendance was limited and a five-day lockdown was put in place midway through the competition. The organizers are confident that the 2022 edition will be held, with fully vaccinated players being able to enter the territory without quarantine or health bubble.

No exemptions will be granted to unvaccinated players, warned Victoria Prime Minister Daniel Andrews, casting doubt on the participation of Novak Djokovic, a nine-time Melbourne titleholder who refuses to say if he is vaccinated or not. Nick Kyrgios had a strained relationship with the world number one, calling him a “moron” at the last Australian Open after his request to relax the quarantine of players.

No exemptions will be granted to unvaccinated players, warned Victoria Prime Minister Daniel Andrews, casting doubt on the participation of Novak Djokovic, a nine-time Melbourne titleholder who refuses to say if he is vaccinated or not. Nick Kyrgios had a strained relationship with the world number one, calling him a “moron” at the last Australian Open after his request to relax the quarantine of players.