"You are dumb a**es" - Nick Kyrgios hits out at claims that he should 'stick to tennis,' takes a dig at 'clout' chasers for using his name on Fortnite
Nick Kyrgios has experienced plenty of success as a tennis player, but away from the court, he has made his love for the popular video game Fortnite well-known. Recently, the Australian lashed out at a fan who encouraged him to stick to tennis, as the latter spotted the athlete’s name in the video game.
Kyrgios is currently out of action due to injury struggles and played his last professional match in June of 2023. Before that, the 29-year-old was one of the top players in the ATP circuit, reaching a career high of World No. 13 in the men's singles. He has also claimed seven ATP Tour singles titles and reached the finals of Wimbledon in 2022 and the finals of the Cincinnati Masters in 2017.
Outside of tennis, Nick Kyrgios is an avid Fortnite fan, often enthusing about the game on X (formerly Twitter), and even attending the Australian Open Fortnite Pro-Am in 2019.
Recently, a fan suggested that Kyrgios should stick to tennis instead of Fortnite, to which the tennis player responded,
“For those of you thinking I sit there and play Fortnite you are dumb a**es but I'm glad it keeps you happy. People usually like to use my name in the username of video games. Glad you got your clout.”
Nick Kyrgios’ mother on her son's gaming habits
Nick Kyrgios has never hidden the fact that he's an avid gamer, and his mother once detailed her son's lengthy gaming habits. In 2022, Norlaila Kyrgios told The Sydney Morning Herald that her son would often play so many video games that his shoulder would start to hurt.
“He was happy to sit in his room and play video games all the time. His shoulder would hurt him from how much he would play.”
She went on to add that he often forgoes sightseeing in favor of gaming, saying,
“In Beijing we wanted him to walk the Great Wall of China with us. Who wouldn’t, right? But Nick wouldn’t go. He was happy to sit in his room and order in, that’s what worried me. I remember in Canada we said, ‘Let’s go to Niagara Falls’. He wouldn’t even go there. I actually went on my own on the tour bus. Nick wouldn’t want to do those things.”
Kyrgios is using his injury time off to explore his talents outside of tennis and Fortnite, experimenting with commentating. According to reports, the Australian plans to make a comeback to the ATP circuit in December with his sights set on winning his maiden Grand Slam.