Nick Kyrgios Unwilling to Play on Clay, Says ‘He Is Not Going to Play 30-Ball Rallies Against Diego Schwartzman’

Nick Kyrgios hasn’t had an ideal start to the 2022 season. The tall Australian was due to play the Sydney Tennis Classic last week. However, days before the tournament began, the 26-year-old had to withdraw from it after testing positive for Covid-19.

Entering the opening Grand Slam of the year, the 115th ranked Australian has been recovering well. He reached Melbourne yesterday after spending a week in isolation in Sydney.

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Although Kyrgios’ preparations in the run-up to the Australian Open have been hampered by Covid-19, the Australian is excited to play in front of his home crowd. Further, Nick Kyrgios has outlined his plan for the rest of the season.

Nick Kyrgios on his schedule for the 2022 season

The 26-year-old has some plans in place after the Grand Slam Down Under. When asked about his next tournaments, the Australian said, “I’ve got a couple of tournaments in about a month-and-a-half after the AO. I’m still travelling and playing from time to time. I’m definitely not going to be travelling as much as I have in the past.”

However, after some hard-court tournaments, Nick Kyrgios is looking to skip the clay-court season. Citing the reason for it, the 26-year-old expressed, “it’s not something that appeals to me any more. Early on in my career when I didn’t really have a choice, I was just grinding and grinding and grinding [on the red dirt]. At this point of my career I’m not going to be having 30-ball rallies against Diego Schwartzman.”

This was in reference to Kyrgios’ meeting with the Argentinian at The Championships, Wimbledon in 2015. The two were engrossed in long rallies in the first round encounter. Kyrgios eventually defeated the clay-court specialist in straight sets.

Kyrgios at Australian Open 2022

The Australian will play his first match of the season at the John Cain Arena tomorrow. He will take on qualifier Liam Broady of the United Kingdom in the first round. A grueling contest with World Number 2 Daniil Medvedev awaits Kyrgios in the second round.

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Can Kyrgios carry the hopes of local fans in the opening Grand Slam of the year? Do let us know your views in the comments below.