Nick Kyrgios, has once again made headlines with his online comments, despite his absence from the ATP tour due to injury.
The current season has been challenging for Kyrgios limiting him to just one match, which he lost. He also withdrew from all Grand Slam events in the 2023 season.
Kyrgios initially engaged in some light hearted banter with Novak Djokovic on Instagram.
The Serbian tennis star shared a video of his basketball session with Andrey Rublev and playfully challenged Kyrgios to a game.
Djokovic tagged Russian basketball legend Andrei Kirilenko and asked for his assessment of their skills. In response, Kyrgios humorously commented, “This is one thing I’d beat you in hahahahahahaha.” Djokovic joined in, saying, “k1ngkyrg1os you probably would… But not from ‘downtown.'”
Reflecting on his encounter with Djokovic in the 2022 Wimbledon final, Kyrgios explained the match dynamics.
Despite winning the first set against Djokovic, Kyrgios suffered a four-set defeat.
Recently, in a segment from Netflix’s tennis documentary “Break Point,” Kyrgios praised Djokovic’s mental strength during pivotal moments of the match.
He noted “Djokovic’s composure and resilience in situations that would unsettle many other players”.
While their past interactions were marked by tensions, Kyrgios publicly defended Djokovic during the Australia visa saga, leading to a positive change in their rapport.
They now speak highly of each other and maintain a friendly connection.
Yesterday, Kyrgios also commented on a social media post highlighting gender disparities in tennis rankings.
The post pointed out the scarcity of male players ranked in the top 50 for both singles and doubles, in contrast to a more substantial number of female players who meet these criteria. Kyrgios, who held positions of 20 and 11 in these categories last season, is currently ranked world No. 135 in singles and world No. 146 in doubles.
Despite his lower singles ranking, Kyrgios excelled in doubles in 2022, winning four titles, including his first Grand Slam doubles championship. He clinched the Australian Open doubles title in 2022 alongside compatriot Thanasi Kokkinakis.
While some appreciate his candidness on Twitter, others expressed disappointment or disagreement with his opinions.
Here are a few examples of the reactions that Kyrgios received: