Australia fires: Tennis star Nick Kyrgios vows to donate $200 for every ace he hits for victims’ charity
TENNIS star Nick Kyrgios will donate money for every ace he hits to raise funds for the victims of the Australian fires.
The controversial player, 24, has vowed to give Aus $200 (£106) for every unplayable serve he delivers this season.
Kyrgios' hometown Canberra is experiencing its worst air quality on record as bushfires sweep through the nation.
So the Aussie took to Twitter to make the suggestion, trying to play his part in supporting others.
He wrote: "I’m kicking off the support for those affected by the fires.
"I’ll be donating $200 per ace that I hit across all the events I play this summer. #MoreToCome #StayTuned"
Big-serving world No30 Kyrgios - who earned just shy of £1million in prize money last year - hit a stunning 597 aces in 2019.
Do the same this year, and that would translate to Aus $119,400 - or £63,200.
And as the tennis season prepares to get underway again in the Australian summer, he will have added motivation to be at his best.
He has already received support from close friend and Australia No1 Alex De Minaur as well as Aussie No3 John Millman.
De Minaur tweeted: ";I like this I will go $250 per ace, just because I don’t think I’ll be hitting as many aces as you mate."
Meanwhile, Millman replied: "I’m not at your level boys but I want to get involved. $100 for an ace over the Australian summer."
Kyrgios tweeted on New Year's Day to suggest setting up an exhibition event before this month's Australian Open to raise more money for those affected by the devastating fires.
He asked: "C’mon @TennisAustralia surely we can do a pre @AustralianOpen exho to raise funds for those affected by the fires?"
Kyrgios is currently preparing with his compatriots for the inaugural ATP Cup, held in his home country, which starts on January 3.
Australia face Germany in their first match in Group F and the team took the chance to address the fires in a pre-tournament press conference.
Kyrgios said: "It’s pretty tragic what's going on, especially with my hometown, Canberra, being under a bit of smoke, the most hazardous smoke in the world at the moment.
"It's obviously sad for everything that's going on… There's no rain predicted there for the next four months, so it doesn't look like the fires are going to slow down anytime soon, which is pretty sad. To see Canberra be like that, it's pretty tough.”
Speaking about the donations for aces, he added: "I'm sure that all these guys will be happy to help.
"John Millman and John Peers retweeted, so the more exposure it gets, I think we have the potential to do something pretty special."
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Team Australia captain Lleyton Hewitt added: "It's been a pretty tough time for a lot of the major states of our country.
"I think all of us feel like we would like to help in some way. Tennis, and especially Tennis Australia, have always made an effort to try and put things together, and we have got a massive platform.
"If they can organise something quick enough, I'm sure they will try and do absolutely everything they can."
CEO of Tennis Australia Craig Tiley confirmed the organisation "want to help in a meaningful way" and confirmed there will be "a number of fundraising and support initiatives" over the coming weeks at the ATP Cup, Australian Open and other tour events.
Australia and New Zealand's cricket sides will also pay tribute to those suffering as a result of the fires.
The two teams get their third Test underway on Friday and will wear black armbands and hold a minute's applause to honour the country's firefighters.
Cricket Australia announced there will be fundraising for the Australian Red Cross Disaster Relief and Recovery Fund during one-day matches between Australia and New Zealand in Sydney in March.
The Aussies' team shirts from the Boxing Day Test victory over the Black Caps are also being auctioned off.
Latest Australia fires news
At the time of writing, at least 18 people have died in blazes across Australia with a further 17 missing.
A week-long state of emergency has been declared in New South Wales with temperatures forecast to hit as high as 46C this week.
Water, food and fuel are all beginning to run out while thousands of homes have been destroyed by the infernos, which are spread right across the island.
