'People paint him as a bad guy' - Coco Gauff backing 'nice person' Nick Kyrgios to win first major at US Open
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ByEurosport
Updated 03/09/2022 at 10:28 GMT
Nick Kyrgios is through to the fourth round of the US Open where he will play the world No. 1 Daniil Medvedev. He is being backed to not only beat the Russian but to go on to claim his first Grand Slam title by 18-year-old Coco Gauff, who has described the Australian as a 'nice person'. “He can win the tournament," said Gauff. "We all know he has the ability to."
US Open highlights: Serena toppled by Tomljanovic, Kyrgios powers on with win over Wolf
Coco Gauff is backing Nick Kyrgios to finally win his first Grand Slam title at the US Open, describing the Australian as a “nice person” who has the “ability” to go all the way.
Kyrgios has split opinion during his eventful career, which has witnessed everything from the sublime to the questionable.
The 27-year-old followed up his Wimbledon final appearance with the Citi Open trophy, but his on-court misdemeanours sometimes steal the headlines rather than his obvious tennis ability.
Earlier this week, he was given a code violation after spitting at his own player’s box during his four-set win over Benjamin Bonzi in his second-round match at the US Open.
There were no such dramas as the Australian defeated American JJ Wolf to set up a fourth round clash with world No. 1 Daniil Medvedev.
Putting aside the controversy that sometimes surrounds Kyrgios, Gauff stresses that the 23rd-seed is a “nice person”.
“I know there’s things on the court that he does that people don’t agree with,” Gauff said on Friday after defeating Madison Keys in a third-round contest.
“I probably don’t agree with some things.
“Overall I think he’s a nice person. At least he’s always been to me. I remember I first hit with him, he probably doesn’t remember this, I was 13 years old at Miami Open. He finished his practice, hit with me for, like, 30 minutes.
“It’s just things like that that stands out for me. That’s why I feel like I can never dislike him.”
Gauff said she was surprised a year later when Kyrgios made time again to practice with her, even after a two-hour practice of his own.
“Again, when I was 14 at Miami Open again, he finished a two-hour practice,” she said.
“I think with Frances Tiafoe. I remember saying, ‘There’s no way he’s going to want to hit with me.’ He just ground it out for two hours. He actually stayed and hit with me for an hour again.
“It’s just moments like that that people don’t really see about him. So I think people paint him as a bad guy. I feel around the grounds, at least my experience of him, he’s not.
“I think in the end it helped me in the long run as a player hitting with him. He told me good things about my game. At that time I’m like, 'Nick Kyrgios thinks I’m a good player.’ You start to believe that and gain confidence in that.”
Backing Kyrgios to claim the US Open trophy, Gauff said she will be supporting him every step of the day.
“If he keeps it up, I think he can go far,” the 18-year-old said. “He can win the tournament. We all know he has the ability to. He was close at Wimbledon.
“I always, always root for him, no matter who he’s playing, to be honest.”
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