After a month of back-and-forth vitriol between Nick Kyrgios and Kitty Chiller, Australia’s Olympic Chief, Australia’s top player has announced that he’ll skip the 2016 Olympic Games in Rio.
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“Representing Australia at the Olympic Games has been a dream of mine since I was a kid,” Kyrgios said in a statement posted in his website. “Playing in the Olympics was a goal this year; I planned my tournament schedule around Rio and made sure to fulfil my Olympic eligibility. Unfortunately, while I have expressed every intention of trying to win a medal for my country in Rio, it’s very clear to me that the Australian Olympic Committee has other plans.”
“I think some of Nick's comments in social media in the past week shows he doesn't really understand what it means to be an Australian Olympian," Chiller said last month, as a feud began developing between the former pentathlete and the 21-year-old World No.19.
Chiller had previously said that Kyrgios was being “watched.” "Any athlete that has just had a disciplinary action from their international federation is on watch," she said of Kyrgios.
Kyrgios clearly didn’t appreciate being singled out. And Chiller didn’t seem to care.
Bernard Tomic has already withdrawn from the Olympics, meaning that Australia’s top two players have now taken themselves out of the pool. The Aussies aren’t the only Federations having difficulties getting top players to play. In total, six Top 25 ATP players have pulled out, including Dominic Thiem, John Isner, Feliciano Lopez and Kevin Anderson.
“AOC’s unfair and unjust treatment of me over the last four weeks, as well as the organization’s crystal clear position on whether they want me to be a part of the Australian Olympic team, has solidified my final decision,” Kyrgios said. “The AOC’s unwarranted attacks on me demonstrate the organization’s inability to understand the circumstances surrounding highly competitive sports. I also don’t want the AOC’s treatment of me to become a distraction and negatively affect the Australian Olympic team.”