Nick Kyrgios made a surprise appearance at Wimbledon this week – not on court, but courtside – sitting in the player box of former world No.1 Naomi Osaka during her opening-round win against Australia’s Talia Gibson.
The four-time Grand Slam champion fought through a tense second set to secure a 6-4, 7-6 (7-4) victory, but admitted afterwards she had no idea Kyrgios was even watching.
“Oh he was there? I didn’t hear anything,” Osaka told reporters. “I jokingly told someone ‘hey, I know Nick’s around, maybe he wants to come to my match’. But I was joking… That’s a little embarrassing that he was there. But yeah, I guess it was cool that he was there.”
Kyrgios, who withdrew from this year’s Wimbledon due to ongoing injuries, appeared mid-match alongside Osaka’s coaching team, including high-profile coach Patrick Mouratoglou.
The pair are both signed to the same management agency and are expected to partner in mixed doubles at the US Open later this year.
“I am glad he came to my match,” Osaka added. “I hope in some way maybe he felt – I wouldn’t be bold enough to say ‘inspired’, but I hope he can relate a little bit to the things I do too.”
Despite a strong showing, Gibson was unable to force a third set, though she took confidence from the match: “I will take a huge amount of confidence from that match, being able to show myself that I’m able to fully compete with a champion like her.”
Kyrgios, who reached the Wimbledon final in 2022, has endured a frustrating season marked by wrist and knee injuries. He recently criticised the BBC after being left off their commentary team, saying: “It’s unfortunate but it’s probably their loss more than mine.”
Source: 7News
