Nick Kyrgios and Alexander Zverev are two of the more outspoken players on the ATP Tour.
Zverev has struggled for form recently, unable to perform to the level of one of the favourites for the Roland Garros title.
As a result of his recent results, Zverev went against his word and decided to accept a late wildcard for the Hamburg Open.
With the German hoping to challenge for the Roland Garros title, some were surprised by Zverev’s decision, but it appears to have proven Kyrgios right.
Nick Kyrgios has been proven correct after what happened during Alexander Zverev’s match in Hamburg
Kyrgios has been vocal against the ATP Tour, including being part of the PTPA’s claim against the organisation.
In a recent interview on the Changeover Podcast, Kyrgios called out the tour and claimed that tournaments with empty crowds are embarrassing.
“The schedule is way too long,” said Kyrgios. “After the US Open there should be no tournaments until the Australian summer. Who is watching Antwerp 250? The crowds are empty. The highlights are embarrassing, the crowds are empty.
“And because it is hard for fans to stay engaged all the time, because they know they can watch it every week. It needs to be shorter. There are too many tournaments, people just don’t show up because they were like I can watch tennis whenever, it’s all year round. It’s ridiculous.”
This is something that was noticed during Zverev’s first round match at the Hamburg Open, which is an ATP 500 tournament.
The crowd appeared sparse in the German city, despite the world number three being in his home country.
Although not everyone agreed with Kyrgios’ comments at the time, this has suggested that perhaps there is a need to overhaul the current schedule, that has been criticised before.
When is Nick Kyrgios next scheduled to compete?
Despite delivering his opinions on the current state of tennis, Kyrgios has not competed since the Miami Open in March.
However, his comeback does not appear too far away, with Kyrgios returning at Roland Garros for his first appearance at the clay court major in eight years.
Kyrgios will be playing just doubles in Paris, competing alongside compatriot Jordan Thompson.
Thompson is the US Open doubles champion, and partnered Kyrgios to the third round of Roland Garros in 2017.
The men’s doubles draw at Roland Garros will get underway on Tuesday May 27.
