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- Nick Kyrgios says he did not miss tennis or most of his fellow players during his year-long break from the sport.
- Kyrgios has not played a competitive match since February 2020, with the Australian choosing to step away from the court amid the coronavirus pandemic.
- “I was playing computer games, that kind of stuff, getting my little competitive edge there. I didn’t really miss the game at all,” he said.
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Nick Kyrgios says he did not miss tennis or most of his fellow players during his year-long break from the sport.
Kyrgios has not played a competitive match since he lost to Ugo Humbert at the Mexican Open in February 2020, with the Australian choosing to step away from the court amid the coronavirus pandemic.
The 25-year-old will bring his hiatus to an end against Frenchman Alexandre Muller in the opening round of the Murray River Open, a warm-up event for the Australian Open, on Monday.
“I’m not going to lie. I didn’t miss the game that much,” said Kyrgios in an interview with Sky Sports. “I’m a competitor. I compete with everything I do. I was playing computer games, that kind of stuff, getting my little competitive edge there. I didn’t really miss the game at all.
“I don’t miss too many people on tour to be honest, apart from all the Australian guys and a couple of good friends.
"It was a bit of a task to get out there, get in the routine of things. Wake up and say, 'Look, we got the Australian Open around the corner, let's put some work in.' It wasn't so easy."
Kyrgios, who opted out of both the US Open and the French Open last year, has been outspoken in his criticizm of the behaviour of a number of players during the pandemic.
One of those is world number one Novak Djokovic, who Kyrgios took aim at for organizing the non-socially distanced Adria Tour in June, which resulted in the Serbian and a number of other players contracting coronavirus.
Djokovic was also caught on video partying topless at a nightclub in Belgrade during the tournament.
"Prayers up to all the players that have contracted COVID-19," Kyrgios said at the time, responding to a video of Djokovic and others partying.
"Don't @ me for anything I've done that has been 'irresponsible' or classified as 'stupidity' - this takes the cake."
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