Nick Kyrgios offers to donate $200 per ace - pledging support for victims of bushfire

In the Tennis World, as in any other Sports, there are characters.  Ilie Năstase a Romanian was a great player who often was in the news for his temperament too.  There was a flare-up in a match with John Mcenroe, another great player, again in news, many a times, for losing his temperament unlike the cool demenaour of Bjorn Borg and Ivan Lendl.  Now Nick Kyrgios gets the limelight often.

In case you are not following,  at the Australian Open 2018 in  Round of 32, Kyrgios defeated Jo-Wilfried Tsonga in four sets. Kyrgios served 36 aces in that match.  Earlier in 2014 Wimbledon  at the Central Court  Nick Kyrgios defeated   Rafael Nadal 7-6(5), 5-7, 7-6(5), 6-3 – a shocker as a 19-year-old wild card, Kyrgios  made headlines for saving nine match points in a second-round win over Richard Gasquet.

Nicholas Hilmy Kyrgios is an Australian professional tennis player ranked recently at No. 30 in the world in men's singles by the Association of Tennis Professionals (ATP),  the second highest-ranked Australian in the ATP rankings. Kyrgios has won six ATP Titles and has reached eight ATP finals, including the 2017 Cincinnati Masters. In his junior career, Kyrgios won the boys' singles event at the 2013 Australian Open and the boys' doubles event at the 2013 Wimbledon Championships.  Kyrgios has a reputation as a talented but mercurial player who frequently gets into trouble for his on-court conduct.

In Aug 2019, Nick Kyrgios’s feud with umpire Fergus Murphy boiled over during an explosive outing at the Cincinnati Masters that left the Australian player $AU167,000 lighter in the pocket and facing a possible suspension from the ATP. Kyrgios flared up at the end of the second set and never regained his composure, breaking two rackets during a bathroom break Murphy had refused him permission to take, before appearing to call the umpire a “fucking fool” at the conclusion of the match. The $US113,000 fine represents 10% of the player’s earnings for the year in which he has won two titles – the Acapulco International in March and  Citi Open in Washington.

This is no post on his negatives or his Tennis abilities but something good about him.  Nick Kyrgios has put his hand up to help the victims of raging bushfires in his country by promising a $200 donation for every ace he serves during the home summer season.  More than 1,000 homes have been destroyed by the fires fuelled by searing temperatures and high winds, with Kyrgios’ hometown of Canberra experiencing its worst air quality and residents have been told to stay indoors.

“I’m kicking off the support for those affected by the fires,” world No. 30 Kyrgios wrote on Twitter. “I’ll be donating $200 per ace that I hit across all the events I play this summer.” Eager to help, Kyrgios’ ATP Cup teammate Alex de Minaur raised the stakes and announced he will donate $250 for every ace off his racket during the Australian swing.“I will go $250 per ace, just because I don’t think I’ll be hitting as many aces as you mate,” the 20-year-old de Minaur tweeted. John Millman, ranked 48 in the world, also promised to donate $100 for every ace during the Australian summer.

Earlier on Wednesday, Kyrgios had tweeted to Tennis Australia and proposed a charity exhibition match to help the bushfire victims. The Australian’s suggestion was liked by more than 12,500 users. “C’mon TennisAustralia surely we can do a pre AustralianOpen exho to raise funds for those affected by the fires?” tweeted the 24-year-old, who has been handed a 16-week suspended ban in September after a series of outbursts. “It’s pretty tragic what’s going on, especially with my hometown, Canberra, being under a bit of smoke, the most hazardous smoke in the world at the moment,” Kyrgios said on Thursday at an ATP Cup news conference in Brisbane.

“It’s obviously sad for everything that’s going on... There’s no rain predicted there for the next four months, so it doesn’t look like the fires are going to slow down anytime soon, which is pretty sad.” Tennis Australia CEO Craig Tiley has since confirmed that a multi-city fundraiser campaign will be launched to support those who have been impacted by the wildfires.

Kyrgios was part of the Australian team that reached the quarter-finals of the Davis Cup in November. Meanwhile Australia's cricketers are planning tributes and fund-raising. They and opponents New Zealand will wear black armbands in tribute to those affected by widespread bushfires in Australia when the teams meet in Friday's third Test in Sydney. There will also be a minute's applause to honour the country's firefighters.

Cricketers Justin Langer and Tim Paine released a joint letter to local media to express their sympathy and solidarity with the country's firefighters. "We pray conditions improve, the fires ease and the rains come," said Australia coach Justin Langer and captain Tim Paine in a joint letter.  "And, above all else, we hope all Australians pull together and help each other through this incredibly difficult time." The pair also said the firefighters were the "true heroes of every summer".

At least 18 people have died in blazes across the country. Cricket Australia also announced there will be a fund-raising drive for the Australian Red Cross Disaster Relief and Recovery Fund during one-day matches between Australia and New Zealand in Sydney in March, while the team's shirts from the Boxing Day Test win over the Black Caps are being auctioned off.  Australia head into the final match of the three-Test series with an unassailable 2-0 lead. The match may be hampered by the smoke from fires that have spread to the outskirts of Sydney and umpires have the option to suspend play if smoke affects air quality or visibility.

With regards – S. Sampathkumar

3^rd Jan 2020.