Nick Kyrgios snubs Paris Olympics, blames AOC for 2016 fallout

Kyrgios was seen in commentary box in Australian Open 2024

Nick Kyrgios, the controversial Australian tennis star, has ruled out playing for his country at the Paris Olympics this year, citing the mistreatment he received from the Australian Olympic Committee (AOC) and former Chef de Mission Kitty Chiller in 2016 as the reason for his decision.

Kyrgios, who reached the Wimbledon quarter-finals in 2014 and is regarded as one of the best grass-court players in the world, said he was desperate to represent Australia at the Olympics eight years ago, but his mentality has changed since then.

He claimed that he was treated unfairly by Chiller, who announced that his behavior was being monitored ahead of the team selection for the Rio Olympics. Kyrgios withdrew from consideration, calling the ban imposed on him for “behavioral reasons” a “disgrace” in a column written at Fairfax Newspaper.

“The way I was treated by the AOC and Kitty Chiller was unacceptable,” Kyrgios said in a statement. “They made me feel like I was not welcome and not part of the team. They judged me based on my on-court antics, not on my tennis ability or my passion for representing my country.”

Kyrgios said he had no regrets about his decision and that he did not want to go through the same ordeal again.

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Kyrgios, who has been sidelined with injuries since the Australian Open in 2022, has been focusing on his media career during his absence from the court. He recently made his debut as an on-court interviewer at the Australian Open, chatting with friend Novak Djokovic after the world number one’s quarter-final.

Kyrgios, who plans to retire in two years, said he was excited about continuing his media work.

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