Australian tennis star Nick Kyrgios exited the Australian Open singles draw early after a second-round defeat against Daniil Medvedev. However, things are looking up for the Aussie star in the doubles draw.

Kyrgios has paired up with long-time friend and compatriot Thanais Kokkinakis. Subsequently, the two have reached the quarter-finals of the Australian Open. After their third-round victory yesterday against the fifteenth seeds in the tournament, Kyrgios talked about how it’s becoming increasingly important to accept different kinds of players with varied personalities in the sport.

Nick Kyrgios wants tennis to accept different personalities in its players

In his post-match interview alongside Thanasi Kokkinakis after their round 3 victory, Nick Kyrgios talked about the future of the sport.

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According to Kyrgios, tennis has done a “really poor job with accepting personalities in the past.” Furthermore, he even stated how the sport has “really only promoted three players for the last decade.”

Of course, Kyrgios is talking about Roger Federer, Rafael Nadal, and Novak Djokovic. However, now he believes that it has “caught up with them,” which explains the marketing push for newer, younger players.

Kyrgios expressed that he is excited about some younger players and what they can bring to the sport. Nevertheless, “tennis has really struggled to embrace different personalities,” he said. Additionally, he praises his friend and teammate Thanasi, sharing how “something about Thanasi” tends to glue him to his screen, regardless of whether or not he is winning the match.

“Tennis needs to embrace that more,” Kyrgios claimed. Moreover, he even talked about his own round 2 match against Russian Daniil Medvedev. “You couldn’t have two more polar opposite kinda personalities going up against it,” he said, describing how different his overall demeanor is from Medvedev.

ALSO READ: ‘Straight Down My Throat’: Nick Kyrgios Jokes About Daniil Medvedev’s Indomitable Serve After Defeat in Australian Open 2022 R2

Be that as it may, “the actual quality of tennis”, per Kyrgios, was still remarkable. “Tennis needs to just push that a lot, otherwise…” he trailed off, before Kokkinakis finished his sentence for him, muttering “dying”. “Yeah, it’s in trouble,” Kyrgios stated, talking about the future of tennis unless it learns to accept all players with different personalities and behaviors, as long as good tennis is played.

Thanasi and Kyrgios go way back

Thanasi Kokkinakis, the young Aussie star who just picked up his maiden ATP title, and Nick Kyrgios, aren’t just teammates. In fact, they have actually been friends for a long time.

“I’ve known the big fella since he was a chubby kid from Canberra,” Thanasi even joked about Kyrgios in their on-court interview after the third round in the Australian Open. Furthermore, Kokkinakis believes it is their friendship that helps them play so well at doubles.

“We are mates first and foremost,” Kokkinakis stated. “There’s a lot of doubles pairings that just play because they’re good together,” he compared himself and Kyrgios to others. “But they don’t actually enjoy each other’s company off the court,” he continued.

“Whether we win or lose, we generally enjoy our time together and have fun out there,” he said, as the two smiled at each other.

WATCH THIS STORY: From Drinking Fan’s Beer to His Iconic Tweener: Nick Kyrgios Puts Up a Crazy Show at Australian Open 2022