"Be strong, Ma”: Krygios' touching message after beating World No 1
<p>Nick Kyrgios has shared an emotional message for his mother after his victory at the Canadian Open. </p>
<p>The Aussie tennis champ claimed victory over world number one Daniil Medvedev 6-7 6-4 6-2, just after a stunning display at the Citi Open in Washington. </p>
<p>American tennis icon Andy Roddick believes Kyrgios is now the favourite for the US Open, which kicks off in a couple of weeks, while Aussie tennis great Rennae Stubbs was in awe of what the Canberran is producing on the courts.</p>
<p>“@NickKyrgios I mean when he plays tennis and keeps his s**t together, he is seriously close to the best tennis player in the world,” Stubbs tweeted. </p>
<p>“His serve is untouchable at the moment. Fitness level is HIGH and his tennis acumen is unreal. That effort after losing the 1st set was impressive.”</p>
<p>Despite receiving global attention for his defeat of Medvedev, there was another thing on Kyrgios' mind after his winning match. </p>
<p>His mother Norlaila is in hospital back home in Australia, and he wrote “be strong, Ma” on the camera after his victory.</p>
<p>Before he took to the court for his battle with Medvedev, Kyrgios spoke about his parents’ health and the challenges of being away from family.</p>
<p>“It’s hard because even travelling now, my mum is in hospital at the moment, my dad hasn’t been very well, my brother just had a baby and I don’t get to be there with my family when normal people would like to be with them,” Kyrgios said.</p>
<p>“It’s hard being from Australia because we can’t travel back and forth. There’s a lot of things people don’t see. They only see me winning, losing, throwing a racquet, doing those things. They don’t really understand the challenges that I face or what people on tour face, what’s going on in their personal lives.”</p>
<p>Norlaila was diagnosed with <a href="https://oversixty.com.au/lifestyle/family-pets/nick-kyrgios-mum-reveals-why-she-doesn-t-watch-him-play" target="_blank" rel="noopener">terminal cancer last year</a>, as she told A Current Affair she is battling to keep doing for the sake of her kids. </p>
<p>She told <em>A Current Affair</em> earlier this year, "The doctors said, 'You won't live after Christmas'. But I was so determined because my kids needed me still."</p>
<p><em>Image credits: Getty Images / Instagram</em></p>
