Nick Kyrgios hits the tennis court with his nephew, helps 1-year-old win rally
Nick Kyrgios, the 2022 Wimbledon Championships finalist, recently partnered with his 1-year-old nephew George on the tennis court, helping the toddler win a rally.
Kyrgios' brother Christos and fiance Alicia welcomed George Onyx Kyrgios to the world in early July 2022, when Kyrgios was part of the Wimbledon Championships. Kyrgios, along with his girlfriend Costeen Hatzi, who was also present at Wimbledon, interacted with George over FaceTime.
The Australian recently took to the tennis court with an enthusiastic George and helped the 1-year-old hit a few shots. Kyrgios put a colorful tennis ball in George's left hand and lightly gripped the latter's right hand. This allowed the 28-year-old to be in control of George's shots.
After a few forehands and a one-handed backhand, it was George who won the rally. Throughout the rally, Kyrgios jokingly kept grunting, which gave young George all the more reason to laugh out loud in excitement.
The former ATP World No. 13 shared the moment on social media with the caption:
"Big day for George!"
Nick Kyrgios: "I didn't sleep for two nights leading up to the 2022 Wimbledon Championships final"
The 2022 Wimbledon Championships was the closest that Kyrgios got to winning a singles Grand Slam title. The Australian battled past Paul Jubb, Filip Krajinovic, Stefanos Tsitsipas, Brandon Nakashima, and Cristian Garin to reach the semifinals, where he was set to face Rafael Nadal.
However, a day before the contest, Nadal withdrew due to a torn abdominal muscle, allowing Kyrgios to reach the final, where he faced top-seeded Novak Djokovic.
The Australian stunned the Serb to clinch the first set 6-4, displaying the rich vein of form that had helped him go deep into the tournament. However, Djokovic took charge of the match from the second set onwards, ultimately winning the match 4-6, 6-3, 6-4, 7-6(3).
During a recent episode of the Good Trouble with Nick Kyrgios podcast, the Australian confessed to guest Frances Tiafoe about his anxiety ahead of the 2022 Wimbledon final.
"I didn't sleep for two nights leading up to that match. I literally got like two hours of sleep, I was so anxious like every little thing that I did in my career led up to that one match, every gym session, every rehab session, every ice bath, every cold shower, led up to that one moment and it was just crazy that I was that close," Kyrgios said.
The 28-year-old has not played a competitive match since his first-round exit at the 2023 Stuttgart Open. He announced on Instagram in March 2024 that he should return to the courts in a month but did not confirm if it was about his return to tournaments or practice.