#Nick Kyrgios isn’t happy with US Open being played: ‘Selfish’

Amid the United States Tennis Association’s plans to move forward with the US Open as originally scheduled, Australian tennis star Nick Kyrgios called out the governing body for being “selfish.”

The event is currently set to go on as scheduled from Aug. 31 to Sept. 31, which New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo confirmed on Tuesday.  

“People that live in the US of course are pushing [for] the Open to go ahead. ‘Selfish,’” the 25-year-old wrote on Twitter. “I’ll get my hazmat suit ready for when I travel from Australia and then have to quarantine for 2 weeks on my return.”

Kyrgios, who has been in Australia since the pandemic put the ATP tour on pause, isn’t the first player to express concerns about playing under the newly implemented health protocols to combat the possibility of contracting the coronavirus.

Novak Djokovic, Simona Halep and Ash Barty have all indicated their apprehension.

“I had a telephone conversation with the leaders of world tennis. There were talks about the continuation of the season, mostly about the US Open due in late August, but it’s not known whether it will be held,” Djokovic told Serbia’s Prva TV. “The rules that they told us that we would have to respect to be there, to play at all, they are extreme. We would not have access to Manhattan, we would have to sleep in hotels at the airport, to be tested twice or three times per week.

“Also, we could bring one person to the club, which is really impossible. I mean, you need your coach, then a fitness trainer, then a physiotherapist.”

On Tuesday, Gov. Cuomo seemingly attempted to assuage the fears surrounding the tournament in a tweet.

“The USTA will take extraordinary precautions to protect players and staff, including robust testing, additional cleaning, extra locker room space, and dedicated housing & transportation,” he wrote.

Whether that’s enough to quell the anxieties is yet to be seen. Kyrgios, previously railed against the ATP Tour and the USTA in a June 11 tweet.

“Obviously Covid, but also with the riots, together we need to overcome these challenges before tennis returns in my opinion,” he tweeted.

The world No. 40 also tweeted Djokovic, Roger Federer and Rafa Nadal to ask if they felt the tournament should go ahead. None of the multiple Grand Slam winners publicly responded.