Nick Kyrgios has emphatically hit again at Australian tennis legend Pat Rafter after he made remarks about his relationship with fellow gamers on tour.
Kyrgios and Thanasi Kokkinakis took the Australian Open by storm in 2022 once they teamed up and claimed the doubles crown.
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The duo, nicknamed the “Special Ks”, introduced their aptitude to the courtroom and had crowds up and off their toes all sport lengthy.
But Rafter stated the best way the pair conduct themselves on the courtroom has ruffled feathers amongst these on tour and left them on the skin inside the locker room.
Rafter appeared on the Australian Open: The Happy Slam podcast and labelled the doubles act as a “circus”.
“It’s an interesting one that is, because the players are really upset about it,” Rafter stated.
“I don’t know how that operates with them and doesn’t really bother me either way. It’s a bit of a circus … doubles is a great event, it’s a lot of fun, and it helps you with singles, but it’s not where it’s at. But at the same time, it’s entertainment.”
The pair had crowds lining as much as catch a glimpse of their historic run and whereas Rafter says they’re attracting extra crowds he doesn’t assume it’s value it once they’re getting beneath the pores and skin of different gamers.
“If they create drama, create ticket sales, and they create people watching, then good on them, but at what expense, I don’t know. The players are really upset. Are you supposed to understand the underwritten rule that that’s not how you behave when you do?” Rafter stated.
Kyrgios nonetheless wasn’t having it and hit again at Rafter, slamming the Aussie nice for having no thought what he was speaking about or what’s going on behind closed doorways.
“He would have absolutely zero idea on what the locker room thinks. Me and kokk have great relationships with most of the players on tour. Guy is clueless,” Kyrgios wrote on Twitter.
Kyrgios couldn’t assist himself and took a cheeky swipe at his critics after it emerged a pre-Australian Open exhibition match that includes the Australian star and Novak Djokovic had offered out in lower than an hour.
Tennis Australia boss Craig Tiley on Monday confirmed Kyrgios would tackle Djokovic this Friday evening in an exhibition match “extravaganza” at Rod Laver Arena.
Tickets for the blockbuster occasion that includes the star duo went on sale at noon on Tuesday — and so they had been scorching property, with the match offered out in solely 58 minutes.
The 27-year-old retweeted the news of the exhibition promoting out in lightning time with a dig at those that say he’s dangerous for the game.
“Wow Nick Kyrgios is bad for the sport! Wow what a disgrace, a national embarrassment! How dare he sell out another stadium, the arrogance,” a sarcastic Kyrgios wrote on Twitter.
Fellow Aussie nice Pat Cash nonetheless wasn’t completely satisfied and let his anger be identified over the upcoming occasion.
“What’s quite extraordinary, it’s actually hard to believe, Tennis Australia is putting on an event, on centre court, for Nick and Djokovic – I don’t know, is Novak gonna play, has he pulled out of it?” Cash stated on SEN’s Sportsday.
“In what country, in what grand slam – would you have Wimbledon suddenly pulling out centre court or court 1 because Andy Murray needed a practice match?
“It’s hard to believe, they certainly wouldn’t do it at the French Open. There’s kids day and whatever and you go and play that. At the French Open it wouldn’t happen.
“They’ve bent over backwards to help Nick to get some matches and to do this, I don’t know.”
