Nick Kyrgios and Adrian Portelli have joined forces to fulfill the wish of a young man fighting an incurable disease.
The young man named Harrison has suffered since he was three years old from a rare form of scleroderma called disabling pansclerotic morphea.
Scleroderma is a rare autoimmune disease that floods the body with too much collagen, causing hardening of the skin, tight connective tissues, and constant pain.
In a touching Instagram video, influencer Samuel Weidenhofer surprised Harrison with the chance to walk away with $500 or win a mysterious tennis ball.
“I stick with the ball because I just like tennis,” Harrison said before revealing that Nick was his favorite player.
“He is one of the greatest of all time,” added the young man.
Samuel then revealed that the mystery prize was a trip to Sydney on Adrian’s private jet to meet Nick.
The next day, Harrison along with his mother flew to Sydney and met Nick, who presented him with a signed tennis racket and a check for $5,000.
Nick Kyrgios and Adrian Portelli join forces to fulfill the wish of a young man fighting an incurable disease
‘Thank you all for making this wish list come true. “It was the best day of my life,” Harrison said.
It comes after Nick recently ended months of speculation by confirming he will play in the Australian Open next year.
He dropped the explosive news while speaking at SXSW Sydney last month, where he also revealed new details about the severity of the injuries that have kept him almost entirely out of competitive tennis for the past two years.
“The injury I had was brutal,” he told the crowd.
“The surgeon said I probably wouldn’t be able to play again. But I said whatever, try to get me another two or three years of my career.
“Everything has gone pretty well and I will play the Australian Open this summer.
In a touching Instagram video, Harrison flew to Sydney on Adrian’s private jet and met Nick, who is his favorite tennis player.
‘Thank you all for making this wish list come true. It was the best day of my life,” said Harrison. In the photo Adrián Portelli.
“It’s been a brutal couple of years, but just being there to play in front of a home crowd… I just want to be there, lighting up the crowd and playing in front of my own country.”
‘Whether it’s good or bad, it will definitely be a lot of fun. I’m looking forward to it.
“My only motivation to come back and play is to try to win a Grand Slam, and I will try it one more time.”
Knee and wrist injuries have kept the former Wimbledon finalist sidelined since shortly before the 2022 Australian Open, leading many to question whether he would ever return to the court.
It comes after Nick recently ended months of speculation by confirming he will play in the Australian Open next year.
