Carlos Alcaraz and Nick Kyrgios' DMs to each other emerge after US Open disaster
Carlos Alcaraz shocked the world as he was knocked out of the US Open, and his private messages with Nick Kyrgios have come to light.
Nick Kyrgios has opened up about his close relationship with Carlos Alcaraz as the Spanish star was surprisingly knocked out early at the US Open.
The former champion stunned the tennis world when he was unceremoniously dumped out of the competition by the unseeded Botic van de Zandschulp. The Dutchman caused one of the upsets of the season as he dispatched the Wimbledon champion in the second round.
Kyrgios, who's working as a commentator at the New York Grand Slam, could not contain his surprise as he took to social media in the aftermath to express his shock. The Australian was clearly affected by Alcaraz's stumble afterhe revealed the pair share a friendship and routinely exchange messages.
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In his interview with Alcaraz after his first round match, in which the Spaniard beat Li Tu, the former Wimbledon finalist lifted the lid on the relationship he has with Alcaraz. He even explained that he jokes with the world No.3, mainly about his attire – often a very tight fitting vest.
Kyrgios said that he told Alcaraz that "he doesn't have go out there and feel like he has to put on a show – people come just to see those arms in that singlet".
It appears the pair's friendship goes back to when Alcaraz lifted the trophy at Flushing Meadows in 2022 after the Australian predicted that Alcaraz would win the US Open men’s title. Rafa Nadal and Daniil Medvedev were among the favourites for the competiton, while Kyrgios himself was even tipped by many to go all the way.
Truth https://t.co/yidN6nGYup
— Nicholas Kyrgios (@NickKyrgios) August 30, 2024
Yet the 29-year-old himself plucked for Alcaraz and even told the star that he would win the title. His educated guess turned out to be correct as the Spaniard claimed his maiden Grand Slam after defeating Casper Ruud in four sets in the final.
During that post-match press conference at Flushing Meadows, Alcaraz revealed the duo's penchant for direct messaging on Instagram, after he was asked: “Are you going to believe what Nick Kyrgios says from now on?”
The Spanish star replied: “Honestly, I check the DM of Instagram. I saw Nick Kyrgios’ message. I didn’t read the whole message, but I read that he said, I told you.”
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The Australian also clarified that the pair connect through DMs by simply saying 'truth' on X in reply to a tweet that gushed over the pair's friendship. However, Kyrgios was as stunned as the rest of the sporting world as he watched on as Alcaraz fell to Van de Zandschulp 6-1 7-5 6-4.
Taking to X to demonstrate his powers of forecasting the future once again, Kyrgios shared his worry for Alcaraz early on in the game, saying: "Interesting. Carlos not settled at all. Too many unforced errors. Going to have to do something he has never done before. Come back from 2 sets down. We need a more composed, better decision making Carlos if we are to get a comeback. Botic is dangerous."
Kyrgios was right about Alcaraz once again as the Spanish youngster was left in an unhappy place, following defeat at the Olympics in July and his recent meltdown at the Cincinnati Open. The 21-year-old was highly critical of himself following the US Open defeat and claimed it was "a step backwards".
Alcaraz said: "The truth is that what I feel right now is that instead of taking steps forward I have taken steps backwards in terms of my mind, and I don't understand why."
