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Nick Kyrgios calls out tennis bigwigs—Is he right about the sport's priorities being all wrong?

The US Open may have wrapped up, but the drama and excitement? Far from over! This year’s edition saw no shortage of controversies, from heated on-court moments to eyebrow-raising commentary. Just when tennis enthusiasts thought they could take a breather and move on from the final Grand Slam of the season, the ever-outspoken Nick Kyrgios has pulled everyone right back into the buzz.

Kyrgios took to his X on Friday and made a subtle dig at the sport and the US Open over its signature cocktail, Honey Deuce. Interestingly, the drink helped the US Open organizers make close to $13 million at the tournament. The USTA announced that it sold 556,782 units of the signature drink at the price of $23 for each unit. This was 26% more than what was witnessed in 2023. When a user highlighted the same and called it ‘Incredible,’ yet another user slammed the post and wrote, “Incredible” is one way to describe it… “pathetic” is another.” Soon, Kyrgios joined the discussion. 

Reposting the same comment, the Australian star wrote, “Tennis is an incredible sport. We take care of the players 🤣” The total money that the organizers garnered through selling the drinks was more than what the ATP and WTA winners and runners-up took back home at the US Open, which sums to around $10.8 Million. This probably drew criticism from Kyrgios who made a subtle dig over the matter. 

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Remember, The Honey Deuce, a Grey Goose vodka-based cocktail that consists of lemonade, raspberry liquor, and honeydew melon pieces shaped like tennis balls, has become a common sight at the U.S. Open fan experience over the past few years. It was estimated that more than one drink was sold for every two people who visited Arthur Ashe Stadium for the final Grand Slam. However, this is not the first time Kyrgios has captured headlines for his digs on the sport.

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In the French Open last year, fans witnessed a series of upsets. While Elena Rybakina withdrew from the tournament ahead of the third round, Iga Swiatek defeated Wang Xiyu in just 51 minutes. With such easy matches unfolding, Kyrgios made a tongue-in-cheek remark and wrote, “Tennis is in a good place,” followed by a face with a peeking eye emoji, on X. Kyrgios has remained at the center of debates and has captured headlines several times during US Open 2024.

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Nick Kyrgios calls out tennis bigwigs—Is he right about the sport's priorities being all wrong?

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When fans demanded Nick Kyrgios’ ouster from ESPN during the US Open

Nick Kyrgios was at the center of controversy over his remarks and controversial statements at the US Open this year. But the debates reached a peak after his cryptic post on Jannik Sinner’s girlfriend Anna Kalinskaya, with fans demanding he be ousted from the ESPN commentary box.

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Kyrgios responded to a photo of himself and Kalinskaya at a 2020 LA Lakers game with a cryptic two-word comment: “second serve!” While it was unclear on what grounds the words were used by the Aussie tennis star, things blew out of proportion when tennis fans considered it an offensive jibe at Sinner’s girlfriend.

Several tennis enthusiasts took to X back then demanding ESPN to take swift action against the 29-year-old and whisk him out from the commentator’s box. For now, it would be interesting to see if more such debates take center stage in the life of Kyrgios over his latest remarks.