Nick Kyrgios rejected by Channel 9 after Australian Open withdrawal
not only has Nick Kyrgios’ withdrawal from the Australian Open hit channel 9 in the viewership department, it also came with a brutal rejection from the Australian tennis player. Kyrgios announced on the first day of the australian open who was forced to withdraw with a knee injury that required surgery.
With Ash Barty retired and tennis titans Roger Federer and Serena Williams also stepping down at the end of last year, Channel 9 hoped to hit ratings gold through Kyrgios. But the withdrawal of the Australian has provoked a large drop in TV viewers in the first week Melbourne Park Grand Slam.
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And if that wasn’t bad enough, news broke on Friday that Kyrgios also turned down an offer from Channel 9 to join their commentary team for a guest season. The 27 year old allegedly rejected the proposalchoosing to spend some much-needed time with his family in Melbourne.
The audience on the opening night of the Australian Open was much lower than it was 12 months ago when Barty played his first round match. Barty’s run to the title, as well as the extraordinary doubles triumph of Kyrgios and Kokkinakis, generated record television ratings in 2022.
But the grand slam lacks serious star power in 2023, and ratings have suffered as a result. Channel 9 also chose to prioritize Australian matches with Alex de Minaur, Alexei Popyrin and Thanasi Kokkinakis in the first round. sidetracking returning superstar Novak Djokovic to your online platform.
It sparked a wave of angry comments from fans on social media who wanted to see Djokovic’s first match in Australia since the deportation scandal 12 months ago. The announcers eventually switched Djokovic to 9Gem, but only after the match was underway.
Sad detail about Nick Kyrgios’ mother comes to light
Kyrgios’s decision to spend time with his family in Melbourne comes after his parents traveled from Canberra to watch him play, only to discover that he had withdrawn. Kyrgios’ mother, Nill, revealed in 2022 that she has not seen him play live for several years due to the adverse effects she has on his health.
After working with a psychologist in recent months, he made the brave decision to end his hiatus and watch him in action at Melbourne Park. But Kyrgios’ knee injury took away his chance.
“I still had to come. My psychologist says I have to keep an eye on him. Otherwise I will never be able to sit there and watch it ever again. You have to face your fears. That’s what they say,” she said the sydney morning herald on Wednesday.
Nill said last year of watching her son play: “I can’t expose myself to that anxiety. I go into a really weird panic. Over the years, I’ve been through a lot.
“In fact, I reached a stage where I sought help. I was seeing a psychologist for six months. He was not in a good place. My anxiety level seeing Nick was very high.”
Nill stayed home in Australia when her husband and daughter traveled to the UK to watch him play at Wimbledon last July. He didn’t even dare watch on TV when Kyrgios faced Novak Djokovic in the final at the All England Club.
“I actually didn’t watch the game,” he told Channel 9 the next day. “I haven’t seen any of his matches.
“I slept very well… In fact, I saw him go out on the court. I love that, you know, watching him walk through Wimbledon, that atmosphere. I love watching him walk onto the field and seeing the reaction of the spectators. I watched it until I think they started to warm up and I said, ‘Good luck’ and went to bed.”
Kyrgios is said to be sleeping with his family in Melbourne this week before heading back home to Canberra. He is set to go under the knife on Monday for an arthroscopy.
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