Nick Kyrgios could be in hot water after being pictured riding an e-scooter alongside his girlfriend without a helmet in Melbourne.
Kyrgios was relaxing ahead of the Australian Open where he starts his campaign again Roman Safiullin on Tuesday evening.
There have been question marks over the Aussie’s fitness after he pulled out of two events in the build-up to his home Grand Slam at Melbourne Park.
The controversial 27-year-old was spotted riding around Melbourne on a commercial hire e-scooter with girlfriend, Costeen Hatzi, stood on the back with her arms around her partner.
Victoria Police laws state you must wear a helmet when operating the vehicle which can reach speeds of 20 km/h.
Kyrgios, who reached last year’s Wimbledon final, is yet to break his Grand Slam duck but has suggested he could call time on his tennis career should he win a maiden major on home soil over the course of the next fortnight.
He played an exhibition alongside Novak Djokovic ahead of the tournament, and admitted afterwards he struggles with the ‘dedication’ required to reach, and remain at, the top of the sport.
“One hundred per cent,” he said. “It’s a lot of training, a lot of work, and I just want to be able to eat whatever I want, drink what I want to drink.
“It’s a hard lifestyle. The dedication these guys show… I did a bit of that last year to show the world I’m still one of the best. But I’m going to try and do it this year and hopefully I can do it, but it will be hard.”
After losing to Djokovic at SW19 last summer, insists he feels he is in contention to be victorious at Melbourne Park.
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WILLIAM WEST/AFP via Getty Images)
“I am one of the best players in the world so I’m definitely going to go into the Australian Open, any tournament, with confidence,” he told reporters after a practice session on Thursday.
“It’s a bit different this time around for me being one of the favourites. Usually I’m a dark horse type thing but now, obviously after the year I’ve had, I’m one of the favourites so it’s kind of new for me as well.
“This is the first time I’ve genuinely gone into a slam feeling like I’m one of the guys that can really take the trophy and knock on the door. I don’t know what I’m going to be feeling when I get out there.
“Usually I’ve got nothing to lose and just putting on a show, but I’ve got to try to really find that balance. Fourteen days to win one of these things is not easy. Obviously I’m capable but so many other people are capable as well.”
