Good Samaritan Kyrgios serves a needy purpose

SYDNEY • Tennis star Nick Kyrgios has followed through on a promise to help people going hungry amid the coronavirus shutdown, with social media images showing boxes of essential items prepped for delivery.

The Australian, who is infamously outspoken and known for his fiery on-court antics, said last Monday he would personally drop food on doorsteps after Covid-19 restrictions closed down entire industries, forcing huge numbers of people out of work across the country.

People queuing for welfare payments Down Under have been likened to scenes from the Great Depression, prompting Kyrgios to offer help.

"Please don't go to sleep with an empty stomach," the world No. 40 posted on his Instagram page. "Don't be afraid or embarrassed to send me a private message. I will be more than happy to share whatever I have. Even just for a box of noodles, a loaf of bread or milk. I will drop it off at your doorstep, no questions asked."

His mother, Malaysia-born Norlaila, posted on her social media pages over the weekend a photo of a table laden with food - including bread, fruit and canned goods - with the caption "dining room or food distribution centre".

Instagram story video clips from Kyrgios' page also showed boxes of essentials captioned "deliveries in progress". It comes just months after the 24-year-old led a bushfire relief campaign that raised millions of dollars.

He gave A$200 (S$180) for every ace he hit across the home tournaments he played in, which ran until the end of the Australian Open.

Other players and organisers of the year's first Grand Slam jumped on board the fundraising drive, also contributing large sums to people affected by the deadly fires.

AGENCE FRANCE-PRESSE