Thomas Siniecki, Media365: published on Wednesday July 27, 2022 at 7:01 p.m.
Without Nick Kyrgios, the disappointment was great for the spectators at the Atlanta tournament, when the Australian was to be the star of the week. Adrian Mannarino, responsible for replacing him at short notice, tries to have fun.
Adrian Mannarino, drafted at the last minute as a lucky loser in place of Nick Kyrgios, in the first round of the Atlanta tournament, knew that the American public was necessarily waiting to see the whimsical Wimbledon finalist rather than the Frenchman. The latter, helped by the satisfaction of his victory over Peter Gojowczyk (6-3, 7-6), preferred to laugh regarding it on the court, to the attention of the local spectators: “I did my best, even if I know I’m not as entertaining as him…” Especially since the Australian, injured in his left knee, had nevertheless appeared on the field before the match to apologize: “I’m devastated not to be able to play, I just wanted to come and give you a show.” Hence the little pressure, inevitably, for the poor “Manna” who does not quite enjoy the same status…
Nick Kyrgios still remains registered in doubles, where he must continue overnight from Wednesday to Thursday in the state of Georgia, associated with his compatriot Thanasi Kokkinakis with whom he has already eliminated Nicolas Mahut and Edouard Roger-Vasselin at the opportunity in the first round (7-6, 6-3). The two friends had won at home six months ago, during the Australian Open, and Nick Kyrgios is therefore the only player this season to have reached a Grand Slam final in both specialties – which Coco Gauff also achieved for girls by reaching both Roland-Garros finals. Only seeded No. 7 in singles in Atlanta, still 47th in the world since there were no ATP points distributed at Wimbledon, he is however seeded No. 2 in doubles (and 27th in the world).