Kyrgios calls for Australian Open to be cancelled
SYDNEY: Nick Kyrgios on Tuesday called for the Australian Open to be cancelled, while unexpectedly showing sympathy to tennis world number one Novak Djokovic, who has refused to reveal his vaccination status. The mercurial Australian said he believed January's opening Grand Slam of the year should not go ahead out of respect for the struggles Melbourne, which hosts the tournament, has endured during the pandemic. The city has spent more than 260 days under lockdown since coronavirus emerged, and Kyrgios suggested it was not worth risking another setback. "I don't think the Aus Open should go ahead, just for the people in Melbourne -- you've got to send a message," he said on his podcast, 'No Boundaries'. "How long did (Melbourne) do in lockdown? 275 days or something?" Victoria state Sports Minister Martin Pakula disagreed, saying he "couldn't follow the logic" of Kyrgios' comments. "Melburnians, Victorians, and, frankly all Australians, are absolutely gagging for major events," he told reporters. "Our economy needs it, our state psyche needs it." The tournament went ahead this year, but players were forced to spend two weeks in hotel quarantine, crowds were restricted and a five-day snap lockdown was called mid-event.
Organisers are adamant it will run as scheduled in 2022, with fully vaccinated players expected to be able to enter Australia without being quarantined or confined to bio-secure bubbles.
Victoria Premier Daniel Andrews has said exemptions would be denied to unvaccinated players, casting doubt over whether nine-time champion Djokovic, who has refused to reveal his vaccination status, will defend his title.
Kyrgios has had a testy relationship with the Serbian, calling him "a tool" at this year's Australian Open over his demands to ease hotel quarantine restrictions for players.
But he appears to have softened his stance, saying Djokovic should be able to compete regardless while referencing basketball star Kyrie Irving who has missed the start of the NBA season after refusing to get a Covid jab.
"Kyrie, Novak ... these guys have given so much, sacrificed so much. They are global athletes who millions of people look up to," said the Australian, who has slipped to 90 in the world.
"I just think it is so morally wrong to force someone to be vaccinated.
"I'm double-vaccinated, but I just don't think it's right to force anyone (to be vaccinated) and say 'you can't come and play here because you're not vaccinated," he added. "There are other solutions around it, (such as) to get tested every day."
Despite calling for the Australian Open to be scrapped, Kyrgios said it was his favourite Grand Slam, but he has little love for the French Open.
"The Australian is my favourite Slam with the home crowd, the pressure is so different," he said.
"The French would be terminated from the calendar completely, it's the worst slam."
相关推荐
-
Europe now has a huge AI gap, for better or for worse
-
Marjorie Taylor Greene's campaign site promotes debunked conspiracy about Ilhan Omar
-
Korea puts reopening plans into reverse as cases soar, omicron spreads
-
CDC advises people to not use e
-
Best smart home deal: The Amazon Smart Thermostat is just $63.99
-
Machine learning is now archiving Mark Zuckerberg's haircuts
- 最近发表
-
- Pragmocracy Now
- People are already getting arrested at Area 51, and of course they're YouTubers
- Explainer: L1 vs. L2 vs. L3 Cache
- 'Judas and the Black Messiah' is pure dynamite: Movie review
- 厚植精神文明沃土 培树司法文明新风
- 'To All the Boys: P.S. I Still Love You' was cute, but we must talk about the ending
- Google Meet to add emoji reacts so you can heart your friends and coworkers
- Samsung's Galaxy Z Flip was so fun I didn't want to give it up
- Campbell highlights Washington Declaration amid security concerns over Putin
- Machine learning is now archiving Mark Zuckerberg's haircuts
- 随机阅读
-
- Best Labor Day headphones deals: Apple, Bose, Beats, and more on sale
- Reading Horizons: A new approach for struggling readers
- DOOM Eternal PC Graphics Benchmark
- Apple will invest $3.6 billion in Kia Motors to build an Apple Car, report says
- Understanding Relational vs. Non
- Trump may have edited Hurricane Dorian map with a marker to cover up his bad tweet
- 'Bonding' Season 2 is a good crash course in BDSM for curious couples
- NATO's Stoltenberg condemns North Korea's satellite launch
- 科创筑梦树立远大志向 蓄势赋能培养科技人才
- Korea puts reopening plans into reverse as cases soar, omicron spreads
- “亲水之旅”请到雅安
- Leaked Tesla employee handbook is as ridiculous as Elon Musk's Twitter
- To Russia, with Love
- New infections in 5,000s for 2nd day, serious cases at record high amid new variant woes
- Live music performances on YouTube are my last resort source of serotonin
- 东莞:2023年荔枝产量增长37.9%
- The OLED Burn
- 'Archive zombies' will crawl back into your messages long after your interest has died
- Joe Biden's latest verbal slip up targets 'Donald Hump'
- 果大皮薄味浓郁 石棉优质枇杷上市啦
- 搜索
-
- 友情链接
-