'People Screaming Out Racist Comments': Kyrgios On Dealing With Racism

Saturday, 07 October 2023 at 07:45

byEvita Mueller

Nick Kyrgios opened up about experiencing racism while playing what is generally considered a predominantly 'white' sport.

Kyrgios isn't considered 'white' because of his roots. His mom is Malay, while his father is of Greek origin. And throughout his career, the Australian athlete had to deal with a lot of racism as he revealed during recent appearance in Mike Tyson's podcast.

Despite dealing with racism, it was not the only type of hate he received. There has been plenty of it, and it's still going on. During the podcast, Kyrgios opened up about dealing with that, explaining that people in Australia, in general, can be pretty racist.

Yes, I’ve dealt with a fair bit of that in my career, for sure, like people screaming out racist comments. I’ve copped that a couple of times, but I mean, I don’t care. A lot of my friends back home are colored, and I almost always fit into that culture a bit better, to be honest.

Read also

Unstoppable: Gauff Wins 16th Consecutive Match To Set Up Swiatek Semifinal At China Open

"I feel more accepted, and yeah, look, I’ve dealt with a fair bit of it. Australia’s pretty bad with that type of stuff anyway, but I don’t really care," he added.

It's not the first time Kyrgios talked about racism, as he opened up about it in an earlier interview, but it's not something he mentions often. It's one of the major problems in the world of sports, and one of the problems that should be solved as soon as possible, to ensure that athletes don't have to face racist slurs when competing.

According to many, Kyrgios is one of the most relatable players while recognizing the troubling things about him, like his on-court tantrums and previous life choices. We haven't seen him play since the grass season, but he should make his return at the Australian Open, which is his home Slam.