Proud Australian Nick Kyrios swept world athletes to help the woodland firefighters destroy the continent • The first championship of the year is expected, but Novak Jokovic has already acknowledged that "if things continue to worsen, I would consider postponing the tournament"

• A firefighter is fighting a fire in Searsfield. The magnitude of the pollution from the smoke may also affect Melbourne

  Photo:

  Getty Images

Nick Kyrios isn't exactly the first name to jump to the top when thinking of a role model, but in recent days those who earned the nickname "The Bad Man of the World Tennis" are the ones who started a movement whose sole purpose was to do well.

The 24-year-old Australian-born Canberra has swept away all his hometown athletes (and not just them) with the goal of helping victims of the wildfires raging in Victoria and New South Wales and leading to the destruction, death, injury to residents and evacuation of 4,000 civilians from their homes.

"Praise for my actions doesn't interest me," Kyrios said over the weekend as he was on the verge of tears. "We have the tools and the ability to make a change. It's bigger than tennis."

This change, how not, started on Twitter. On the first day of the new year, Kyrios challenged the Australian Tennis Association and called on her to hold a showcase for all his proceeds to be passed on to the victims of the fires. Not 24 hours passed and the association issued a statement that on January 15, a tournament called "Rally for Relief" will be attended by the world's largest tennis stars.

The next day, Kyrios tweeted again: "I intend to donate $ 200 to the firefighters on every ace I hit in January's tournaments," he wrote: and in the first subsequent game, he struck out 20 worth less than $ 4,000.

Kyrios' influence quickly exceeded the limits of tennis // Photo: Getty Images

These two actions, which highlighted the sincerity and leadership of the Australian, swept the world of sports for the highest cause. Many tennis players and tennis players including Alex Di Minuar, Samantha Stosur, Maria Sharapova, Simona Halp and others have announced that they will also donate money to any Ace they will hit.

Top ranked world and Queensland native Ashley Barretty has stepped up to do so, announcing that she will donate the $ 360,000 to the Brisbane tournament winnings. "Tennis is just a game," she said, inspired by Kyrios. "There are more important things happening in Australia today and need to be taken care of."

Actors' health at stake

Kyrios' influence quickly exceeded the boundaries of tennis. Cricket stars announced they would also donate their money for the casualties, as did athletes who organized show runs, while the Australian Football League issued an official announcement that two upcoming league cycles would be dedicated to raising awareness about the victims of the fire and collecting donations for help. Even basketball player Lamelo Ball, an American who plays in the Australian league, has announced that he will contribute a monthly salary for the casualties.

Everyone is recruiting for the cause, but not by chance the tennis people are the most active. An ATP CUP tournament is currently being held in Australia, which hosts tennis players from 24 countries and is held in Brisbane, Sydney and Perth. Thanks to Kyrios, who participates in the tournament, the fire issue is a top priority, and it is expected that the participants' aces will lead to $ 150,000 in donations.

Nick Kyrius. Donated thousands of dollars // Getty Images

Alongside that, the fires have led to the Canberra Tournament being relocated to another destination and taking place in distant Bendigo 600 miles, to keep players healthy. "We will continue to monitor developments as we know how important this tournament is in preparation for the Australian Championship," the organizers said.

And that's another matter. The Australian Championship, the first Grand Slam of the year, is set to open in Melbourne on January 20. While most of the tennis players are currently collecting donations, Novak Jokovic has raised concerns about his role as president of the players' organization. "If things continue to get worse, I would consider delaying the tournament's opening," said the world's top-ranked player. "Of course, this is the last option, but the situation should be monitored."

South African Kevin Anderson joined in with the concerns and said the actors had already talked about the issue.

"It's a horrible thing to happen in Australia, but you have to look at the state of the air pollution and if it hurts us," Anderson said.

In the meantime, until a decision is made on the subject, the world tennis is following Kyrios and not thinking too much about himself and the Australian Championship. With passion and authenticity on the field sometimes unfavorably interpreted, the Australian does something positive that gives him a new, clean image. So what if he curses here and there, say in Australia today, this guy managed to do more than their prime minister.