Nick Kyrgios is known for making controversial statements, but his recent statements about some issues outside tennis were unexpected.
Kyrgios has only played one match on the ATP Tour in the last two years because of severe knee and wrist injuries. His only appearance was a failed comeback attempt before the 2023 Wimbledon Championships at the Stuttgart Open.
The 29-year-old plans to return to the sport at next year's Australian Open and aims to win his maiden Grand Slam singles title to silence those who doubt that he can successfully return after so long out.
Kyrgios has commentated and appeared on various podcasts while injured, continuing to create controversy with some of his comments and actions in the last few months.
He was strongly criticized for making a thoroughly distasteful remark about Jannik Sinner's girlfriend, Anna Kalinskaya, during the US Open, referring to the fact that he used to date Kalinskaya in a comment about their relationship.
Andrea Petkovic slammed Kyrgios for "self-sabotaging with misogynist nonsense" by making such comments. She says it distracts from the Australian's commentary during matches, which can often be insightful.
Kyrgios also recently commented on an infamous incident with Stan Wawrinka at the 2015 Canadian Open, when he told the legendary Swiss player that Thanasi Kokkinakis had relations with Donna Vekic, his girlfriend at the time.
Although Kyrgios apologized in 2015 for that incident, he now thinks it was normal trash talk and argues that heated interactions between players on the court are necessary for sports.
The 2022 Wimbledon runner-up might split opinions on tennis-related matters, but his achievements as a player mean it is understandable that some take what he says seriously.
However, his comments about the Egyptian pyramids not being built by humans were bizarre and not ones listeners of the Louis Theroux Podcast would have expected when he was asked if humans were responsible for the ancient structures.
"No, I don’t. Impossible. That’s insanity. The fact that, how is that possible they got every measurement correct and they’re all aligned? And they did it with rolling large stones on logs is an insane statement."
"Why are the doors so big? Like who needs to walk through the doors if they’re that big? I don’t know who it was. I just don’t think that we were capable. It’s 2024 and we can’t even all get along. And you think that we built the pyramids? You’re insane. That’s insanity stuff."
Kyrgios then discussed whether the Earth is flat. The Australian thinks it is probably round but is also open to the possibility of it being flat despite all available evidence pointing to the Earth being round.
"I’d probably be inclined to saying it’s round, but I’m also not surprised if it was the other thing either."
The two-time Citi Open champion also said he had thoughts about the moon landing in 1969 and asked whether Theroux thought the Americans really did it first.
Kyrgios can at least be credited for not hiding his beliefs, even though many believe his remarks about the Earth being flat and the Egyptian pyramids not being built by humans are not what the facts show.