'I'm not sure we've ever seen that': Roddick issues Australian Open challenge to 'influencer' Kyrgios

Former US Open champion Andy Roddick has doubled down on the "tennis influencer" jibe he fired at Nick Kyrgios and challenged the controversial star to "finally commit" during the looming Australian Open.

The firebrand Australian will contest his first home grand slam since 2022 when he takes on Jacob Fearnley of Great Britain in a first-round match on Monday.

Kyrgios withdrew this week from an exhibition match against Novak Djokovic due to an abdominal injury, but said on Thursday he was "nearing 100 per cent to play".

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"Nick Kyrgios has again been in the news off the court, and comes into the Australian Open after a long layoff with a wrist injury," Roddick said, per Betway.

"Kyrgios is a huge influencer in the world of tennis. He creates headlines, so people who make money from views and clicks have to talk about him.

"At the best of times, you wouldn't say that Kyrgios' fitness was the thing to carry him through. It takes a lot of work and discipline, and he has admitted that those weren't always the things he was super interested in.

"Those things matter even more when you're coming off a layoff of close to two years."

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On December 30, Kyrgios lost in straight sets to Frenchman Giovanni Mpetshi Perricard in the first round of the Brisbane International.

He also featured in two doubles matches in the Brisbane tournament, winning on one occasion alongside Djokovic but losing the other match.

In the only other match he's played since 2022, he lost a singles match to China's Yibing Wu in Stuttgart, Germany in June 2023.

Kyrgios won the 2022 Australian Open doubles crown alongside close mate Thanasai Kokkinakis, then reached the Wimbledon singles final later in the same year, in which he lost to Djokovic, but wrist and knee injuries have since derailed his career.

"There's going to be more interest in tennis if Nick finally commits, gets in shape and really gives it a run [at the Australian Open]," Roddick added.

"I'm not sure we've ever seen that, and I hope he does it because he is that talented.

"You can have a lot of opinions and be a controversial figure, but the thing that makes him fascinating is that after a two-year layoff, I'm being asked if he's a contender. It's a tip of the cap to his talent level, which no one has any doubts about because he's a phenomenal tennis player."