Nick Kyrgios has given the strongest indication yet that he will spurn this year's delayed French Open, and may not play again this year amidst the global COVID-19 pandemic.
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Speaking at his first public press conference since returning to Canberra in March, Kyrgios relayed his fears about the virus's crippling effect on world sport, and said he wouldn't feel "comfortable" traveling overseas any time soon.
He will make an official call on the French Open in the coming days, with the tournament due to start on September 21, but has hinted he will follow in the footsteps of defending champion Ash Barty and not travel to Paris.
Kyrgios discussed his immediate future at Amaroo on Thursday afternoon, as the ACT Government pledged $8m towards a Gungahlin tennis facility which would provide up to 12 new courts, hot shots courts, a hitting wall, LED flood lighting, parking and a pavilion should Labor win re-election.
"I don't think at the moment I'm really comfortable going anywhere with the current conditions, I don't see any real improvement going on in my eyes at the moment," Kyrgios said.
"Even Ash Barty, she's a champion of the French Open and she didn't feel entirely comfortable going there playing, and she didn't feel like she's had the right preparation. Nor have I to be honest.
"At this stage it's so hard to make a definitive decision because things can just balloon out of control in say, a week. I don't think it's the best time for sport to be going ahead.
"I'm going to continue to train, stay on top of my body. Whether it is next year I start playing again my body's going to be ready to go and hopefully I can be playing the same level of tennis when I stopped."
Kyrgios also expressed concern at the viability of next year's Australian Open, which officials still hope will be held in January despite Melbourne's oppressive lockdown.
"I don't think even the directors or anything like that are comfortable with what's going on as well, hopefully fingers crossed it goes ahead," Kyrgios said.
"Nothing else would make me happier than to go and play in the Australian Open again, to play another Grand Slam."
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Boris Becker feud
Kyrgios has advocated strongly for global safety throughout the COVID-19 pandemic, and has not been afraid to air his views on Twitter after disagreeing with the behaviour of several of the sport's superstars.
The world's number 40 warned some of the game's biggest names of the dangers of Novak Djokovic's tennis tournament in eastern Europe earlier this year, at which several players contracted coronavirus.
He also called out Alexander Zverev for failing to adhere to a 14-day isolation period which led to Boris Becker attacking Kyrgios on Twitter.
"At the end of the day I'm just trying to hold people accountable for their actions," Kyrgios said.
"You can't compare what someone does on the court to off the court. This is a serious thing, people are losing lives over it.
"When I see some people making mistakes...if they defend it and continually do the same mistakes especially in a global pandemic I'm obviously going to say something about it.
"I'm not saying it to just say it or just to bring some attention to myself, I'm genuinely trying to pull people in line that I think need to be pulled in line.
"We need to work as a team otherwise it's going to be ongoing. Sport's not going to be the same.
"I want things to go back to normal. We all want to play sport, everyone wants to see it."
Mental reset
Kyrgios has used the enforced layoff in Canberra to catch up on much-needed time with family and friends.
But he's also using the layoff as a chance to reset mentally after a taxing eight years on tour.
"It's more the mind, I use it as a massive mental reset," Kyrgios said.
"I'm going to be very fresh, it's going to be new to go out there and play again.
"It's been a blessing, I've definitely taken advantage of it. I do miss competing, at the end of the day I'm a competitor with everything I do, I miss going out there and playing but I want to do it in the right circumstances.
"I want to do it in front of 20,000 people, I want to do it in front of filled arenas."
On the proposed Gungahlin tennis facility
Kyrgios has thrown his support behind the ACT Government's pledged Gungahlin tennis facility, and offered to make himself available to budding tennis stars using the new courts.
Gungahlin was identified as Australia's second-fastest growing region in 2016, but its expanding suburbs are still without a tennis facility.
The lockdown has allowed Kyrgios to inject more time into his Foundation this year, and the 25-year-old has also promised to help the development of the region's next stars.
"I would love to be involved as much as I can, I just need to know the schedule when the kids are going to be down here and I'll...just rock up and play for a couple of hours," Kyrgios said.
"If I'm in Canberra I can be here a lot. I don't mind how good you are I just want to make people happy.
"Canberra's always been amazing to me. It's the best place in the world and I've grown up here.
"To see another centre being built in Canberra's super special. I always had Lyneham just two minutes from my house, it's going to give so many kids opportunities. It opens up more chances to get more events here in Canberra."