Nick Kyrgios hints at national allegiance switch amid Olympics admission
The Aussie tennis star has hinted at switching his national allegiance to Greece.
Nick Kyrgios has sent social media into a spin after hinting at switching his national allegiance from Australia to Greece. The tennis star was born to a Greek father and a Malaysian mother but represented Australia when he burst onto the scene as a teenager before having a falling out with Australia's Olympic Committee.
In an Instagram post on Thursday night, Kyrgios shared a picture of him with fellow Aussie tennis star Thanasi Kokkinakis- who also is of Greek heritage - and Greek star Stefanos Tsitsipas. In a post that sent tongues wagging, Kyrgios wrote: "Things could be looking nice for team Greece soon". Kokkinakis replied, "Trouble" and Tsitsipas added, "Davis Cup loading..."
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Kyrgios and Kokkinakis are known to be great friends and famously won the 2022 Australian Open men's doubles together. While Kyrgios' relationship with Tsitsipas had been rocky.
The potential allegiance switch comes after Kyrgios revealed in a recent column for the Sydney Morning Herald, that he will never represent Australia again, while also speaking on the uncertainty around his return to tennis. "One thing I will guarantee, though, is that if I am fit and ready to play, I won’t be making myself available for the Olympics," he wrote.
Kyrgios says he will never forget the Australian Olympic Committee's treatment of him, labelling it "unfair and unjust" and says he, therefore, will never pull on the green and gold again. "The way I was treated by the Australian Olympic Committee and former chef de mission Kitty Chiller will never be forgotten," he said.
"To ban me from playing at the 2016 Rio de Janeiro Olympic Games was a disgrace. I was No.13 at the time and had a genuine chance at winning a medal. For them to forbid me from representing my country for behavioural reasons is something that I just can’t forget."
Kyrgios had to pull out of this year's Australian Open due to ongoing knee and wrist rehabilitation. The Aussie says he is unsure of the timeframe of his return or even if he can return to the level he was before surgery.
Nick Kyrgios and Stefanos Tsitsipas settle their differences
Tsitsipas and Kyrgios have had a rocky relationship in the past, most notably coming to blows at Wimbledon in 2022. During the contest, Kyrgios called for Tsitsipas to be defaulted after hitting a ball into the crowd in anger during the second set of their third-round clash at the All England Club. From there the match was full of controversy and bad intentions with Tsitsipas appearing to strike multiple balls with force at Kyrgios during the Aussie's four-set victory.
Tsitsipas then reignited the feud in an interview with Greek news outlet Tromaktiko - claiming that Kyrgios "broke" the friendship between the pair and reportedly said Kyrgios acted like a "clown" during their fiery Wimbledon clash. "I didn’t do anything," Tsitsipas said. "I was only trying to compete, while he was playing the clown. It also depends on how he wakes up each day."
Kyrgios fired back on social media, claiming Tsitsipas was in the wrong during the match and insinuated that his rival was still salty about the loss. "Right….. this the match he hit someone in the crowd….. belted another ball out of the stadium and got taught a lesson in front of another full stadium….." Kyrgios wrote. Since then the pair have been seen smiling and laughing at the Australian Open, seemingly putting their disagreements behind them.
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