Australian Davis Cup team captain Lleyton Hewitt suggested he did his best to try to convince Nick Kyrgios to compete at the Davis Cup Finals but the 2022 Wimbledon finalist had other priorities. Kyrgios, ranked at No 22 in the world, is the highest-ranked Australian male tennis player.
This past week in Malaga, Australia made the final at the Davis Cup Finals, before losing to Canada 2-0. Kyrgios, who made a Grand Slam singles final this year and also won a Grand Slam doubles title at the Australian Open, would have certainly been a major help to Australia against Canada.
After Australia lost the final in Malaga, Hewitt was asked about Kyrgios’ absence. “I don’t know. You have to ask him. I can’t try any harder. I try and come here with the best possible team we could field,” Hewitt said, when asked about Kyrgios’ absence.
Hewitt didn’t have Kyrgios at his disposal in Malaga
Meanwhile, Kyrgios will be playing tennis in about 10 days. The Diriyah Tennis Cup, which held its inaugural edition in 2019, is set to return between 08-10 December in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.
Kyrgios will be among the participants. “I’m very curious to go to a new place. I’ve never been before and I’m going with my girlfriend. We’re very excited to see what it’s about. I’ve got a very close family friend who lives there, and he only speaks very highly about Saudi.
I’m super excited to get there. I’m always looking forward to (playing) these sorts of events. It’s very important for the fans to be involved. Personally, I love going to places where they may not know so much about tennis, to try and draw some attention and get them to enjoy it.
I think that’s important. When I retire from tennis, I want to know that I left a mark and made a lot of new fans of the sport,” Kyrgios said of playing in Riyadh.
