Nick Kyrgios has ended his contract to attend next year’s Rotterdam Open in order to play in an NBA all-star celebrity game according to the chief organiser of the event.
Tournament director Richard Krajicek confirmed Kyrgios’ absence from the ATP 500 event during an interview with the Dutch Broadcasting Foundation nos.nl. The 21-year-old was set to make his debut at the tournament in 2017.
“We wanted to hold him to his contract,” Krajicek said during the interview.
“You see what can happen when he is tired and [tennis] has little meaning, as in China. We do not want that. So we decided to terminate his contract. We want a top tennis player seen on the court. Kyrgios prefers his passion beyond his profession.
“If every week he is focused on tennis, he might be mentally burned out after six months. He needs an outlet.”
Instead of Rotterdam, Kyrgios will fly to the United States and participate in the NBA all-star weekend. The weekend festival is held midway through the NBA season and celebrates numerous aspects of the league. Kyrgios is set to play in the NBA all-star celebrity game, a event that has been held annually since 2003. This year Milos Raonic and Eugenie Bouchard represented Team Canada in the event.
Kyrgios’ decision to play in the event is one that doesn’t surprise many given his roots in Basketball. The world No.14 played the sport throughout his adolescence. At the age of 14 he was faced with the hard decision of choosing between basketball or tennis. It was a decision that still has an impact on his love for tennis now.
“I don’t really like the sport of tennis that much. I don’t love it. It was crazy when I was 14. I was all for basketball and I made the decision to play tennis. I got pushed by my parents and to this day I can still say I don’t love the sport,” he told The Independent in 2015.
The announcement of Kyrgios’ Rotterdam withdrawal comes just days after he was banned from the sport for eight weeks for his poor behaviour at the Shanghai Masters. The ban could be reduced to three weeks if he enters a ‘plan of care’ approved by the ATP, but it is unclear if he will proceed with it. On top of the ban, Kyrgios also received a $25,000 fine.
As a result of his ban, the 21-year-old is not eligible to be nominated for a Newcombe medal for the second consecutive year. The Newcombe medal is an annual award ceremony that recognizes the achievements of Australian tennis players.
