Nick Kyrgios: ‘My parents arrived in Australia with nothing’

Carlos Alcaraz finished the season as number one in the world. A position gained with the victory at the US Open over Casper Ruud, where what was at stake was the first Slam trophy for both. Thus, Novak Djokovic lost the first place in the ranking and fell more and more, due to the few tournaments played and the lack of Wimbledon points. In response to the ATP world rankings is the UTR ranking: as tennis 2022 is over, Universal Tennis has established its own top 10, based on different parameters than those used by the ATP. At the head of this last classification is Novak Djokovic: few tournaments played, but almost all won, especially in the second half of the season. Even so, the Serb has won five titles, from Wimbledon to Tel Aviv. He is followed by Nick Kyrgios, who on the grass of the All England Club won the final that he lost against the Slam champion; to it is added the title of Washington. The podium is completed by Daniil Medvedev, winner of two tournaments and also with a final under his belt, the Australian Open lost to Rafael Nadal. The latter, however, is off the podium, moving up to fifth place; Seventh, on the other hand, is Carlos Alcaraz, current number one in the world in the ATP ranking. The classification, published by Universal Tennis on Twitter, was immediately taken up by those who have already attacked the ATP ranking: Kyrgios. Tennis Channel, on Twitter, points out the difference on court with the Australian: in the ATP ranking he is 22nd, in the UTR rating he is second. Kyrgios himself responds to this evidence, reiterating his point of view, explaining the differences between the two classifications and why he was so high in one and so low in the other. “I SAID THIS BEFORE. THE CURRENT RANKING SYSTEM IS BASED ON CONSISTENCY AND HOW MUCH YOU PLAY. NOT SKILL AND FORM,” the Wimbledon finalist wrote on Twitter, accompanied by a series of hand-to-face emoticons.

Kyrgios had an excellent 2022

One month before the start of the Australian Open (January 16 to 29, 2023), Nick Kyrgios spoke of the pressure that is sometimes difficult to bear even if he considers it “a privilege”. Excerpt from an interview given to Mats Wilander for Eurosport during the Diriyah Tennis Cup. “Being in the spotlight is not easy. It’s always hard to be me. When I win a tournament or something of value, they always want more. I’m never told, ‘Okay, it’s time to rest.’ It’s more like, ‘Well, do it again and now’. People will never have enough. From my point of view, I have achieved great things in this sport, considering where I come from. My parents arrived in Australia with nothing. So I know I’m happy with that. I want to achieve more for myself, for my whole team, but not for the rest of the world.”