"Overall, he's a nice person; I can never dislike him" - Coco Gauff on her friendship with Nick Kyrgios

While Nick Kyrgios has gained a reputation as the resident bad boy of tennis, Coco Gauff doesn't think that is correct. The American reckons that, at his core, he is a nice person, at least someone who has been nothing but nice to her over the years.

Speaking at her press conference after her straight-sets victory over compatriot Madison Keys in the third round of the 2022 US Open, the teenager expanded on her friendship with the mercurial Australian.

Recalling how Kyrgios once trained in earnest with her when she was only 13 years old, Gauff remarked that such instances made it impossible for her to dislike him regardless of what is portrayed in the media.

"Overall, I think he's a nice person. At least he's always been to me. I remember I first hit with him, he probably doesn't remember this, I was 13 years old at Miami Open. He finished his practice, hit with me for, like, 30 minutes," Coco Gauff said. "It's just things like that that stands out for me. That's why I feel like I can never dislike him because constantly when I see him around, he's always saying hello."

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In another instance, Gauff revealed that the former World No. 13 stayed back to hit with her for an hour after finishing a two-hour practice with fellow American Frances Tiafoe, an act which led her to develop a certain fondness for Kyrgios.

"Again, when I was 14 at Miami Open again, he finished a two-hour practice. I think with Frances Tiafoe. I remember saying, There's no way he's going to want to hit with me," Coco Gauff said. "Just grind it out for two hours. He actually stayed and hit with me for an hour again."

Remarking that such moments are not seen by tennis fans who harbor a hatred for Kyrgios, making it easier for them to "paint him as a bad guy," Gauff declared that her career was ultimately helped by training with the Australian. The very fact that someone as good as him believed in her game was enough of a confidence booster for the teenager at the time.

"It's just moments like that that people don't really see about him. So I think people paint him as a bad guy. I feel around the grounds, at least my experience of him, he's not," Coco Gauff said. "I think, in the end it helped me in the long run as a player hitting with him. He told me good things about my game. At that time I'm like, Nick Kyrgios thinks I'm a good player. You start to believe that and gain confidence in that."

"He can win the tournament, we all know he has the ability to" - Coco Gauff on Nick Kyrgios' chances at the US Open

Coco Gauff believes Nick Kyrgios can win the 2022 US Open

Coco Gauff went on to comment on Nick Kyrgios' on-court antics as well, admitting that she is not a fan of everything he chooses to do on the tennis court. At the same time, she remarked that he had a great serve that made him a dangerous opponent.

"Yeah, I think he has a great serve. I mean, I don't talk about his on-court game. We all know he's great. I know there's things on the court that he does that people don't agree with," Coco Gauff said. "I probably don't agree with some things."

Australian tennis player Nick Kyrgios has been fined $11,000 for "spitting and audible obscenities" during his second round match at the U.S. Open.
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In fact, the American teenager reckons the 27-year-old Aussie can even win the 2022 US Open if things go his way, adding that she always roots for him irrespective of who he plays against on any particular day.

"Yeah, if he keeps it up, I think he can go far. He can win the tournament. We all know he has the ability to," Coco Gauff said. "He was close at Wimbledon. I always, always root for him, no matter who he's playing, to be honest."