Tennis

Nick Kyrgios: Know me as a person before you judge me

Nick Kyrgios says that he has been judged and criticized way too unfairly and that the negative storm surrounding him is ‘shocking’.

Former Olympic swimming champion Dawn Fraser told Kyrgios and fellow Australian Bernard Tomic to ‘go back where their parents came from’ on national television after they were both involved in minor incidents and were put under the microscope for what many deemed to be inappropriate.

“I don’t try and be anyone else when I’m on the court,” he told Fairfax Media. “I try and just play the game and get emotional here and there. At the end of the day, I’m just shocked with what’s happened. I’m just really shocked on how people have responded and reacted and what they’ve said. I’m really shocked.

“I’m not asking everyone to love me but at least know me as a person first before you judge me,” he added. “I don’t write bad tweets about anyone else. I don’t say anything bad about anyone else. I’m not this person everyone thinks I am.

“I’ve read a whole lot. Comments like ‘he shouldn’t be representing Australia’, ‘he’s a disgrace’. It’s tough to read. I’m human,

“I don’t really want them to love me. I don’t want their love, but everyone deserves respect.”

Kyrgios escaped punishment for ‘tanking’ in the match against Richard Gaquet but was fined with a substantial figure of $2,000 (RM7,625) for swearing in addition with another $7,500 (RM28,592) for unsportsmanlike conduct for slamming his racket,which bounced into the crowd in the third round match against Milos Raonic. That means he has been slapped with nearly a total of $10,000 (RM38,123).

 

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