Kyrgios's classy gesture for heartbroken US Open rival
Nick Kyrgios has shown his softer side with a touching message of support to a shattered rival.
Canadian teen Felix Auger-Aliassime broke down in tears after he was forced to retire hurt in his opening round US Open clash on Tuesday.
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The 18-year-old had been battling an increased heart rate during his match against compatriot Denis Shapovalov, and couldn’t hold back the tears when he called it quits.
In beautiful scenes, Shapovalov embraced his friend at the net before offering him some encouraging words.
Heartbreaking scene in New York as Felix Auger-Aliassime retires after heart issues at the #USOpen.
Starts to cry as he comes together at the net with his Canadian friend and teammate, @denis_shapo pic.twitter.com/Ik4wc3FQCM
— Devin Heroux (@Devin_Heroux) August 27, 2018
"I was thinking, 'Maybe if I play a few games it will go away and I can play the fourth…'"
In tears, Felix Auger-Aliassime retires against friend Denis Shapovalov and explains the situation. Many a #USOpen to come for the 18-year-old, but still a horrible way to bow out… pic.twitter.com/4uNECS6Vb2
— Abigail Johnson (@abigailtennis) August 27, 2018
Auger-Aliassime took to social media on Wednesday to thank his fans for their support.
“Just a quick message to thank you all for the support over the last day,” he tweeted.
“It means a lot to me. I want also to reassure everyone that my health is fine and that I will get further investigation on what happened last night. I will be back on courts very soon.”
Hi everyone, just a quick message to thank you all for the support over the last day. It means a lot to me. I want also to reassure everyone that my health is fine and that I will get further investigation on what happened last night. I will be back on courts very soon✌🏽
— Félix AugerAliassime (@felixtennis) August 29, 2018
Kyrgios saw the tweet and offered a classy response for the heartbroken teen.
“You got a lot more matches coming your way champ…big things,” the Aussie wrote.
You got a lot more matches coming your way champ.. big things 🙏🏽☺️🔥 https://t.co/THgWMdSQ6Q
— Nicholas Kyrgios (@NickKyrgios) August 29, 2018
Auger-Aliassime had already had been visited by the tournament doctor during the third set, complaining that his heart was racing.
He has reportedly had problems with his heart before and was diagnosed with tachycardia in 2017, which forced him to retire from a Challenger event in Guadeloupe.
“It’s actually really tough to see him going out like this,” Shapovalov said afterwards.
“I told him at the net we’re going to be back here, we’re going to play so many of these.”
Kyrgios’s defiant message to booing US Open fans
Kyrgios didn’t always have the crowd on his side during his 7-5 2-6 6-4 6-2 first-round win over Moldovan Radu Albot – but he still enjoyed the experience of the airy new arena.
“I like it a lot. I thought it was a great court actually. I really liked it,” he said ahead of his second-round clash with Pierre-Hugues Herbert on Thursday.
“The atmosphere feels good. I could hear every boo when they booed me.
“You get that a lot, so it’s very good that they’re making these courts echo the boos. I like it a lot. It’s a lot of fun.
“The US Open crowds are always fun to play in front of. It kind of felt like an indoor court, almost. It was pretty loud in there.”
Victory over Herbert would likely thrust Kyrgios into a third-round confrontation with 20-times major winner Roger Federer, who also faces a Frenchman on Thursday – Benoit Paire.
with AAP