Nick Kyrgios’ parents drove down from Canberra last week to watch their son compete at an Australian Open he will no longer feature in.
It might not sound like a big deal, but for his mother, Nill, it’s significant.
The Kyrgios brothers with their mother, Nill.
Cast your mind back to Wimbledon, when Nill told the Herald and The Age that she was refusing to watch her son play.
“I can’t expose myself to that anxiety,” she said at the time. “I go into a really strange panic. Over the years, I’ve been through a lot.
“It actually got to a stage where I sought help. I was seeing a psychologist for six months. I was not in a good place. My anxiety level watching Nick was so high.”
Over the past six months, Nill has been working with a psychologist to overcome her fears. It’s why she jumped in the car with her husband George to meet up with her other son, Christos, and his family to support Nick.
Australian tennis player Nick Kyrgios on Tuesday.Credit:Chris Hopkins
On Monday, those plans came crashing down following Nick’s 11th-hour withdrawal.
“That’s fine,” she said. “I had to still come. My psychologist says I have to watch him. Otherwise I’ll never be able to sit there and watch him ever again. You have to face your fears. That’s what they say.”
The Kyrgios family all caught up for a barbecue in Melbourne on Tuesday evening in the Victorian suburb of Mont Albert, where Nill and George are staying with friends.
“He messaged this morning and said, ‘I love you mama’,” Nill said. “I didn’t want to message him yesterday because I knew his phone would be on fire. I left him to his own devices. It was nice of him to message me. He knows that I’m just a bit worried about him.
“I do feel so sorry for him. He tried his best to get over this two weeks. But these matches are going to be long and tough. By the time he got off, he would have been in so much pain. He’ll be back.”
Tomic’s long road starts in Qatar
Qatar is a long way from Melbourne, but that’s the road Bernard Tomic has taken in an attempt to make his way back to the Australian Open next year.
At the same time the gates opened for the first grand slam of the year, Tomic was competing in the final of a challenger event in Doha.
He lost the final to Estonian world No.780 Kristjan Tamm and received close to $1800 in prize money. A win in the opening round of the Australian Open guarantees a player $158,000.
A new crowd favourite
Australians are renowned for getting behind a fellow countryman, but the support of new cult figure Jason Kubler has been something we haven’t seen at Melbourne Park for a while.
The crowd favourite is also much loved among tennis circles, with a host of former and current players heading over to watch his first-round win.
Kubler had plenty of support on Monday.Credit:Getty
Among them was Lleyton Hewitt, Tony Roche, Luke Saville, Rinky Hijikata, John-Patrick Smith, Andrew Harris, Luke Saville and his girlfriend, Maddison Inglis.
Gadecki’s bright start
Generally when a player wins a grand slam, they’ll head out to a famous location in that city for a photo shoot.
Young Australian Olivia Gadecki did that after her first-ever win at a grand slam, that’s how significant the victory was for the 20-year-old world No.199.
Australian wildcard Olivia Gadecki visits the Brighton Bathing Boxes after her first round win.Credit:Wayne Taylor
Gadecki couldn’t wipe the smile off her face, posing for photos at the iconic Brighton beach in Melbourne a day after her straight-sets win over Polina Kudermetova.
Even if she loses her next match against Ukranian Marta Kostyuk, she will still double her career prize money to date.
Pegula’s nod to Hamlin
Jessica Pegula, the daughter of Buffalo Bills NFL team owner Terry Pegula, paid tribute during her first-round match to Bills star Damar Hamlin, who suffered cardiac arrest during a game earlier this month.
Pegula wearing a number three badge on her skirt as a tribute to Buffalo Bills player, Damar Hamlin.Credit:Getty
She wore a commemorative No.3 badge in honour of Hamlin’s jersey number, while also signing off on the camera “Go Bills” with a love heart.
The Bills won their wild card game against the Miami Dolphins just hours before Pegula took to the court.
“Yeah, it was fun obviously for them to get that win before I went on court,” she said. “It wouldn’t have really affected me, I don’t think, but I would have just been annoyed that they lost.”
Dirk a big presence at Melbourne Park
NBA legend Dirk Nowitzki has been hanging around Melbourne Park the past week. The former Dallas Mavericks star was invited as a guest of Tennis Australia on opening night.
He eventually made his way down to the players’ area, posing for photos with America’s Frances Tiafoe and Australian Dylan Alcott.
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