Kyrgios plays it safe for Wimbledon, but beats ATP by coaching outside the track

Nick Kyrgios has taken a “no risk” approach to his Wimbledon fitness, but the same can’t be said of his stellar performance on the men’s tour in coaching trials off the field.

The in-form Australian has taken the cautious route to Wimbledon and decided to pull out of his last-16 draw against Roberto Bautista Agut at the Mallorca Championship on Wednesday, local time, after suffering a stomach ache.

Kyrgios – who has been a huge hit with local fans on the Spanish island – says he was sorry to disappoint them by withdrawing due to a painful abdominal problem he sustained during Tuesday’s win over Laslo Djere.

On a doctor’s advice, he played it safe, saying he wanted to “take no risks” with his best shot at Wimbledon in recent years, just around the corner.

However. the enigmatic Australian didn’t play it safe with his views on the ATP’s plans to test coaching outside the court, saying he believes the uniqueness of the sport was taken away from the experiment.

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The ATP will test the system in the second half of the season, with players being allowed to receive instructions during qualifying and main draw matches in tournaments, including the US Open and the ATP Finals.

Patrick Mouratoglou – who helped Serena Williams to victory – congratulated the ATP on “legalizing a practice that has been going on at almost every game for decades”, but Kyrgios was adamant in his opposition.

“Strongly disagree. Loses one of the few unique traits no other sport had,” Kyrgios said on Twitter.

“The player had to figure things out for themselves. That was the beauty of it. What happens when a high profile player versus a low ranking player who has no coach or can afford it?”

Mouratoglou was involved in the most talked-about piece of off-court coaching during the 2018 US Open final when Williams received a warning for his gestures.

The new trial will begin on July 11, the day after Wimbledon ends, where Kyrgios has good reason to believe he could have his best run yet after reaching two semi-finals on the lawn in the span of three years. two weeks in Stuttgart and Halle.

“I’m really sorry to have to withdraw from tonight’s game here in Mallorca. I’ve played a lot of great games lately and unfortunately I woke up with a pain in my stomach,” Kyrgios said in a comment. statement released by the organizers on Wednesday, local time.