Nick Kyrgios struggled to hold back his tears during a post-match interview at the ATP Cup when talking about the ongoing wildfire crisis affecting his country.
The 24-year-old made headlines yesterday after vowing to donate $200 for every ace he produced during the Australian summer. A gesture that has since been emulated by fellow players such as Alex de Minaur and Sam Stosur. 18 people have been killed in the fires since September and mass evacuations are currently underway. In Kyrgios’ home of Canberra, the smoke from the fires has led to it being declared as the most polluted city in the world.
Kyrgios spoke about his gesture following his straight sets win over Jan-Lennard Struff on Friday. Hitting 20 aces throughout his 6-4, 7-6(4), victory. Meaning that he will donate $4000 to fundraisers set up to support those affected by the fires.
“I don’t really care about the praise too much. We’ve got the ability and the platform to do something,” said Kyrgios.
“My home town is Canberra and we’ve got the most toxic air in the world at the moment, that’s pretty sad. It’s tough. Sorry.”
"It's bigger than tennis."
An emotional @NickKyrgios talks about the difficult situation with bushfires in Australia and what it means to support the cause 🙏#ATPCup pic.twitter.com/fJvNtZvGDw
— Tennis TV (@TennisTV) January 3, 2020
Earlier this week it was announced by Tennis Australia that a series of events will take place over the coming weeks to raise funds for those affected. One of the events confirmed is the ‘rally for Relief’ that will take place on January 15th. It will be held at the Rod Laver Area, which is the main venue of the upcoming Australian Open. Names of those taking part haven’t been released, but CEO Craig Tiley states that interest has been high.
“I’m glad the tennis world has taken up the issue. We’ve set up a night on Wednesday next week and hopefully we can do whatever we can. But it doesn’t make it any better at the moment,” Kyrgios said.
“My mum is still in Canberra. I’ve got a lot of friends there. I feel like there is no choice but for us to help. We all should be doing something. We all earn a lot of money and a bottle of water can save a life. There’s no decision.”
Tennis has been affected by the current bushfires with experts monitoring their air quality at the ATP Cup. Meanwhile, a Challenger and ITF women’s event named the Canberra International has been relocated 370 miles away to Bendigo.
