American teen phenom Coco Gauff has accepted Nick Kyrgios to play mixed doubles together at next year’s Australian Open. Kyrgios became a fan favorite at Wimbledon following an entertaining mixed doubles stint alongside tennis royalty Venus Williams. Unfortunately, they had to withdraw from their second-round clash due to injury. The Australian star conceded he might not get another opportunity to partner with the seven-time grand slam champion.
“That was some of the most fun I’ve had on the tennis court, just to grace the court with such an icon and such a legend before she retires,” Kyrgios told news.com.au last month. “She’s 41, and obviously, her body will be hurting a lot, so I’m not sure how long she’ll play.” But Kyrgios has already unearthed another US superstar to play alongside. Gauff was recently asked which player she would like to be friends with during an interview at the Citi Open, and the 17-year-old didn’t need long to conjure an answer.
“Nick Kyrgios. He’s a super funny guy on the court and off-court super kind,” she responded. “He probably doesn‘t know this, but I first hit with him when I was 12, I believe, at the Miami Open. “He also played ping-pong with my brother in the Citi Open last year.” Kyrgios replied to the tweet: “Anytime! You will do great things in this sport; I can’t wait to watch it. I got plenty more ping pong lessons as well.”
The 26-year-old then asked on Twitter: “@CocoGauff mixed at Aussie Open?” Gauff responded: “Let’s make it happen.” This year, the American teenager reached the quarter-finals at Roland Garros and currently sits at No. 25 on the WTA rankings. She famously defeated four-time grand slam champion Naomi Osaka in straight sets at the 2020 Australian Open. Tennis fans were overjoyed at the revelation, predicting that Kyrgios and Gauff would form one of the tournament’s most entertaining doubles pairings.
The 2022 Australian Open is scheduled to commence on January 17, but the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic could force Tennis Australia to postpone the grand slam tournament again. Kyrgios’ title defense of the Citi Open was over before it began, going down in straight sets to Mackenzie McDonald last week. But it wasn’t the 6-4, 6-4 consecutive sets defeat that dominated headlines after the match, nor was it any of Kyrgios’ long list of on-court antics. Instead, it was a heartbreaking and almost depressing admission in his post-match press conference that he had supposedly lost his competitive edge.
“I’m not feeling the severity of certain points, and I don’t feel the pressure as much as obviously playing week in, week out,” Kyrgios said. , “I don’t feel like my body and mind quite understand the severity of some points here or there because I haven’t played that much. “You think when you have to press when you have to relax whe,n you kind of coast when you sort of push.
“Look, I’m disappointed. I’m disappointed. “I know that I’m going to be dealing with a lot of s**t now on social media. Like, my head’s in the shed, to be honest. “I don’t know. I didn’t play great.” With the US Open kicking off at the end of August, it won’t be long before we find out what type of Nick Kyrgios will step onto the courts at Flushing Meadows. His previous best performance in New York is the third round, but if his performance at the Citi Open is anything to go by, he’ll be fighting to advance past the first obstacle, whoever that may be.
