Nick Kyrgios says he didn't miss tennis or most of his fellow players during his yearlong hiatus from the sport

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Nick Kyrgios says he didn't miss tennis or most of his fellow players during his yearlong hiatus from the sport
Nick Kyrgios.Getty/Jack Thomas
  • Nick Kyrgios says he didn't miss tennis all that much during his year-long absence from the sport.
  • Kyrgios took a break during the coronavirus pandemic but is set to resume action this month.
  • He told Sky Sports he was able to funnel his competitiveness into video games.
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Nick Kyrgios says he did not miss tennis or most of his fellow players during his yearlong break from the sport.

Kyrgios has not played a competitive match since he lost to Ugo Humbert at the Mexican Open last February, with the Australian choosing to step away from the court during the coronavirus pandemic.

The 25-year-old is set to bring his hiatus to an end against the 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," Kyrgios said 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."

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Kyrgios, who opted out of both the US Open and the French Open last year, has been outspoken in his criticism of the behavior of some players during the pandemic.

One of those is the men's world No. 1, Novak Djokovic, who Kyrgios took aim at for organizing the Adria Tour in June, when Djokovic was seen partying and ultimately contracted the coronavirus.

"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 at a nightclub in the Serbian capital, Belgrade.

"Don't @ me for anything I've done that has been 'irresponsible' or classified as 'stupidity' - this takes the cake."

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