Tennis great says Kyrgios 'misread the room'

3 years ago 271

Australian tennis fable Todd Woodbridge says Nick Kyrgios "misread the room" erstwhile helium suggested the Australian Open should beryllium cancelled.

Kyrgios stunned fans earlier contiguous when helium suggested the adjacent Grand Slam tourney should beryllium called off owed to the interaction COVID-19 lockdowns person enactment connected the Victorian population.

"I don't deliberation the Aus Open should spell ahead, conscionable for the radical successful Melbourne, you've got to nonstop a message," Kyrgios said earlier connected his No Boundaries podcast.

"How agelong did [Melbourne] bash successful lockdown? 275 days oregon something?"

After proceeding those comments, Woodbridge said cancelling the tourney would beryllium a catastrophe for the authorities of Victoria.

Kyrgios wants Australian Open cancelled

"It was a ft fault, he's misread the room," Woodbridge told 2GB's Wide World of Sports radio.

"I've lived successful Melbourne passim the lockdown... we privation to get retired and the Australian Open is going ahead.

"You've got to recognize however important it is, not conscionable the authorities of Victoria, but for Australia to get backmost connected that satellite stage. To beryllium capable to amusement the remainder of the world, who person been looking astatine america for the past 3 to 4 months, reasoning what's going connected down under.

"It would beryllium the worst happening imaginable if we were to not person the Australian Open.

"Without the Australian Open going ahead, that is the conveyance that funds tennis successful Australia... to turn the game, you request to person the Australian Open deed the courts.

"If you were to cancel an Australian Open, you suffer your slot successful the calendar. It doesn't instrumentality overmuch for it to beryllium gone. That's thing we don't want... the players emotion coming to Australia.

"He's misread the room, It's a shame. But I tin committedness you that the Open is up and it is moving and it volition beryllium happening."

After Kyrgios' comments made headlines astir the tennis world, the 26-year-old took to Instagram this day to wide the air.

Kyrgios said his concerns were "more truthful for the radical of Melbourne" and that it wouldn't beryllium just to let players into the state who aren't vaccinated.

Woodbridge said Kyrgios was forgetting the important relation the Australian Open plays for the economy.

"I deliberation wherever Nick missed the people that small spot - I deliberation helium was trying to look aft the radical of Melbourne a small bit, but we privation to to get out," Woodbridge added.

"We don't privation to beryllium not having events. We mislaid the Grand Prix this twelvemonth and that's an important lawsuit for promoting Australia and we conscionable request to get backmost retired there.

"Think astir the tradies, shot kids... everybody that is simply a part. There are astir 10,000 radical employed successful immoderate mode oregon different astir the period of tennis successful Melbourne.

"That's immense for the economy, you can't instrumentality that away.

"He's superb with the racket and helium is giving america immoderate of his thoughts, and successful the media we bash privation to perceive his thoughts, adjacent if they're not ever the close one.

"I deliberation from this helium volition larn successful different ways however to articulate his thoughts."