Nick Kyrgios has confirmed that he will not represent Australia at Paris 2024. The Australian tennis player made the announcement in recent days, reports The Star. For him, the main reason is the mistreatment he suffered prior to his participation in the 2016 Rio de Janeiro Olympics. 

The former Wimbledon finalist and the 2022 Australian Open junior and doubles champion pointed out in a statement to the then-head of the mission at the time, Kitty Chiller, that his behaviour was being monitored. "However," he wrote in a column in the Fairfax newspapers, "one thing I can guarantee is that if I am fit and ready to play, I will not make myself available for the Olympics.

"The way I was treated by the Australian Olympic Committee and the former head of mission, Kitty Chiller, will never be forgotten," he insisted. He cannot forgive the fact that he was able to compete for medals at the time.

Now, eight years later, he has not forgotten that his exclusion from Rio 2016 was due to allegations of abnormal behaviour. Kyrgios has had a couple of years where he has not performed the way he was expected to when he first showed his talent as a young man.

Injuries to his knees and elbows joints have kept him out of competition since about this time last year. His pace is not right for the top level and there has been speculation about his possible retirement, although the player himself has indicated that he has two more seasons in mind.

During the Australian Open, he worked with the media, provided commentary and had the opportunity to interview Novak Djokovic on court. The ATP world number one and Kyrgios are known to be good friends and have shared some amusing moments on court.

He has a strong personality and a great talent that needs to be channeled, but he never achieved the success that was expected of him. He has had a somewhat mixed relationship with his country in recent years.

This is in contrast to when he turned professional and always wanted to represent Australia. He was not present at Tokyo 2020 because his physical condition was not ideal for an Olympic event. He also stated that he did not want to compete without an audience because of the restrictions.

A spokesman for the Australian Olympic Committee (COA) said after hearing the tennis player's comments that "every athlete has the right to make their own decisions about their sporting future and those decisions will be respected", according to The Star.