Tennis ace Nick Kyrgios makes noise on and off the tennis court.
In a few hours time he takes on No.32 Ugo Humbert in the second round of the 2021 Australian Open.
Who is Nick Kyrgios?
Nicholas Hilmy Kyrgios is an Australian professional tennis player.
He was born in Canberra, Australia to a Greek father, Giorgos and a Malay mother, Norlaila.
In his teens, Kyrgios played basketball before deciding to focus solely on tennis when he was 14 years old.
As of November 2020, he is ranked No. 45 in the world in men's singles by the Association of Tennis Professionals (ATP) and is the third highest-ranked Australian in the ATP rankings.
The tennis star has won six ATP titles and has reached nine ATP finals, including the 2017 Cincinnati Masters.
In his junior career, Kyrgios won the boys' singles event at the 2013 Australian Open and the boys' doubles event at the 2013 Wimbledon Championships.
During his professional career, Kyrgios reached the quarterfinals of the 2014 Wimbledon Championships—upsetting then world no. 1 Rafael Nadal and world no. 13 Richard Gasquet en route—and the quarterfinals of the 2015 Australian Open.
He is only the third player, after Dominik Hrbatý and fellow Australian Lleyton Hewitt, to have beaten Roger Federer, Rafael Nadal, and Novak Djokovic the first time he played each of them.
Kyrgios has a controversial reputation due to his on-court antics, but he also has a heart full of gold.
Last year he took to the streets of Canberra, to deliver food to anyone going hungry during the pandemic.
And before that, during the Australian summer of tennis (in 2020), he pledged to donate $200 for every ace he hit and it was his idea of the ‘Rally for Relief’ that helped raise millions of dollars for those impacted by the devastating bushfires.
In 2017 he also launched the NK Foundation, which strives to “increase access to, and provide sport facilities to underprivileged and disadvantaged youths."
And his philanthropic efforts don't stop there. He recently announced that he has teamed up with Old El Paso to ‘Make Some Noise for Australia’.
The aim is to unite fans around all Aussie pro tennis players ahead of their home major, and help donate Mexican meal kits to those in need, via Foodbank Australia.
Every time an Aussie player plays a match in Melbourne (between 31st January to 21st February 2021); Old El Paso and the NK Foundation will donate 100 meal kits to support vulnerable Australians via Foodbank Australia.
"Hey guys! As we all start our season after that ‘crazy’ year, we could really do with some good noise and do some good, right? That’s why I’m proud to announce that my friends at @oldelpasoaustralia together with my @NKFoundation decided to unite to make some noise for all our Aussie players for a good cause!" he posted on Instagram.
https://www.instagram.com/p/CK_Dl2UprXK/
CEO of Foodbank Australia, Brianna Casey says, “The past 12 months have been a difficult period for all of us, but in particular it’s been extremely tough for vulnerable families who were already struggling to put food on the table before 2020.
“We invite all Australians to get behind this terrific initiative and of course cheer on our tennis stars.”
In a few hours time, Kyrgios will take on No.32 Ugo Humbert in the second round of the 2021 Australian Open.
