Nick Kyrgios’ European tour travel troubles echoed by Diego Schwartzman

| by Tom Grant

Nick Kyrgios will forever divide opinion amongst tennis fans who either can’t stand his on-court theatrics or believe he is the most watchable player on the tour.

The Australian appeared to have turned a professional corner in 2022 with onlookers commenting how he appears more committed to the sport than ever before.

This view appears to have been vindicated with an appearance at a first-ever Grand Slam final at Wimbledon alongside impressive wins at the Citi Open in Washington (in both the singles and doubles) and a run to the quarter-finals at the US Open in New York.

Now - as is always the way with Kyrgios - there was some on-court hysterics and bad behaviour thrown in for good measure during his summer on tennis’s biggest stages but that is all part of the package when it comes to Nick.

However, one of the reasons many fans have begun to warm to the World No. 20 is his openness when it comes to talking about his family back in Canberra and how much he misses them when spending months on tour.

At the start of September, Nick explained spending a prolonged amount of time thousands of miles from home can take its tole on his mental wellbeing.

He said: “"I’m struggling with it, to be honest. I think a big part of me would love to just be home with my girlfriend and see our families and have that comfortable type of lifestyle. But this is just what I do.

“I personally struggle with it because I value those little homes at home. Obviously, I’m a tennis player who doesn’t play a heavy schedule because of that reason. I don’t want to miss those moments. Especially when they’re significant moments like my mum’s birthday, when she’s not healthy, in and out of hospital"

And it now appears South American Diego Schwartzman shares Kyrgios’s feelings of being homesick.

Schwartzman was speaking at a pre-tournament press conference in Tel-Aviv, where he was pressed about retirement given his involvement in last weeks Laver Cup that saw Roger Federer bow out of the sport.

The 30-year-old said: “33 — is a good age to retire, isn’t it? South Americans are in different situations compared to European players. We travel too much, and sometimes we are not coming back home for 2-3 months, while Europeans can fly home every week. It’s tough,” he said.

The Argentinian lost to Arthur Rinderknech in three sets in Tel-Aviv.

"Tell me one person who likes his father" - Schwartzman in clash with Tsitsipas
"Tell me one person who likes his father" - Schwartzman in clash with Tsitsipas
"Let's get a big match in Spain" - Kyrgios suggests exhibition match to Alcaraz
"Let's get a big match in Spain" - Kyrgios suggests exhibition match to Alcaraz

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