EXCLUSIVE: Smiling Nick Kyrgios returns to Australia with girlfriend Costeen Hatzi after his epic meltdown at the US Open – as homesick star rushes home to see ill mum and dad
- Tennis star Nick Kyrgios is back on Australian shores after US Open charge
- The 27-year-old flew into Sydney from New York on Friday morning at 8am
- Is expected to spend a few days with the family of his girlfriend Costeen Hatzi
- Will then travel to Canberra to see his parents, who are both battling illnesses
A beaming Nick Kyrgios has flown home to Australia to finally reunite with family and friends following his incredible meltdown at the US Open.
The 27-year-old arrived at Sydney International Airport around 8am on Friday with glamorous girlfriend Costeen Hatzi in tow after bowing out in the quarter-finals at Flushing Meadows.
Kyrgios lost a five-set thriller to Russian Karen Khachanov on Thursday (AEST) and after shaking hands with his opponent and the chair umpire, the Canberra born on-court entertainer completely lost his composure.
He left a trail of debris on the court at Arthur Ashe Stadium after smashing two racquets and was also fined for spitting earlier in the tournament.
It left Krygios $47,000 out of pocket from his two weeks in New York.
Aussie tennis star Nick Kyrgios at Sydney Airport with girlfriend Costeen Hatzi and her family
Kyrgios was all smiles after flying in from New York, where he made the quarter-finals of the US Open
In his post-game press conference, Krygios lamented his missed opportunity at the final grand slam of 2022.
‘I honestly feel like s**t. I feel like I’ve let so many people down,’ he said. ‘Just came out flat, physically didn’t feel great.
‘I’m devastated. But all credit to Karen. He’s a fighter. He’s a warrior.
‘He just played the big points well. Really wasn’t anything in it. I feel like I’ve just failed at this event. That’s what it feels like.’
The scenes were completely different at Mascot Airport, where Kyrgios caught up with Hatzi’s family.
Coffees were in demand after flying direct into Mascot, with Kyrgios enjoying his best ever year on the ATP circuit
Kyrgios (pictured speaking with Costeen’s mother Mary outside the airport) has been welcomed into the Hatzi family
Kyrgios will soon head to the nation’s capital to see his ill parents, Norlaila ‘Nill’ Kyrgios (right) and father Giorgos (left)
Kyrgios is expected to kick back in the Harbour City the next few days before heading to the nation’s capital to see his own parents, who are both battling illness.
The tennis star has spoken out about being desperately homesick several times this year, and this week posted a photo of his mother to Instagram with the caption, ‘Makes me so sad and so happy at the same time’.
After years of not realising his potential on the ATP tour, Kyrgios has finally shown tennis fans what he is capable of in recent months.
He made the Wimbledon final and won the Citi Open in Washington before finishing in the final eight in the Big Apple.
He also took out the men’s doubles title at Melbourne Park with fellow Aussie Thanasi Kokkinakis at the start of the year.
He is likely to start 2023 in the world’s top 20 and will be seeded at the Australian Open next January.
