Kyrgios has cryptic response to battle with Barty for Aussie honour

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Nick Kyrgios has shared a cryptic response to his Newcombe Medal nomination as he looks to be in with his best chance yet of winning the prestigious Australian award honouring the year’s top tennis player. But he will have to battle Ash Barty, who became the first home winner of the Australian Open singles title in 44 years before retiring as the reigning world No 1. Alex de Minaur and Storm Hunter are also among the nominees, but Barty and Kyrgios look to be in a two-horse race for the top honour.

Kyrgios enjoyed a career-best season this year as he teamed up with long-time friend Thanasi Kokkinakis to win the Australian Open men’s doubles title at the start of 2022 as wildcards. He then made his maiden Grand Slam final in singles at Wimbledon, won his seventh singles title in Washington and qualified for the ATP Finals in doubles.

It gives the 27-year-old arguably his best chance yet of taking home the Newcombe Medal, awarded to the year’s standout Australian tennis player, after winning the accolade once before in 2014 when he defeated then-world No 1 Rafael Nadal at Wimbledon as a teenage wildcard ranked at No 144 in the world. But he has now shared an ambiguous tweet in response to this year’s list of nominees, posting seven sleeping emojis and adding: “cmon now.”

It’s not known whether the world No 22 is implying that he is the obvious choice or he isn’t bothered about the accolade, but his tweet comes as Barty is expected to win the award for the fifth straight year despite Kyrgios’ career-best season. The 26-year-old retired from professional tennis weeks after winning the Australian Open title, becoming the first Aussie singles champion since 1978.

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Barty was the world No 1 and the reigning Australian Open and Wimbledon champion when she announced her shock retirement at the age of 25 back in March, and she is the current favourite to win the Newcombe Medal after ending the country’s 44-year drought for a champion at their home Grand Slam. The retired pro and Kyrgios are joined by several other nominees, including Alex de Minaur, who led his country to the recent final of the Davis Cup Finals. 

The Aussie Billie Jean King Cup team also made it to the final of the women’s version of the World Cup of tennis, with team members Ajla Tomljanovic and Storm Hunter also earning nominations as the world No 33 reached a career-high ranking, made her second quarter-final appearance at Wimbledon and her first at the US Open. Meanwhile, Hunter reached No 8 in the doubles rankings and won the mixed doubles at the US Open, also reaching the women’s doubles semi-final and lifting a WTA 1000 doubles title in Guadalajara.

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“It feels surreal to be nominated for the Newcombe Medal,” Hunter told The West Australian. “I really wasn’t expecting it but it really is the cherry on top of a great year for me. I also feel very honoured to be considered among all the other nominees who have all had incredible years.”

Men’s doubles players Matt Ebden and Max Purcell are also up for the award after winning the Wimbledon doubles title together and reaching the Australian Open men’s doubles final as a team, while Ebden also reached the mixed doubles final at the All England Club.

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