Kyrgios backtracks on call for Aus Open to be cancelled

Nick Kyrgios. Pic/AFP

Nick Kyrgios on Tuesday attempted to play down comments that he wanted the Australian Open to be cancelled, after a backlash with government officials stressing the country was gagging for major events.

The mercurial Australian created waves by saying he believed January's opening Grand Slam of the year should not go ahead out of respect for the struggles Melbourne, which hosts the tournament, has endured during the pandemic.

The city has spent more than 260 days under lockdown since Coronavirus emerged, and Kyrgios suggested it was not worth risking another setback. "I don't think the Aus Open should go ahead, just for the people in Melbourne - you've got to send a message," he said Tuesday on his No Boundaries podcast.

Within hours Kyrgios took to social media, claiming he was taken out of context. "To say that I would want the Aus Open cancelled, that was the sentence that got taken out of context. It's more for the people of Melbourne who have been to hell and back," he said.

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