Australian Nick Kyrgios has ensured the war of words with fellow ATP Tour star Stefanos Tsitsipas shows no signs of stopping after he insisted he taught the Greek "a lesson" last year.
The pair traded blows as the fallout from their infamous Wimbledon third round tie continues to strain a one-time friendship. Kyrgios defeated Tsitsipas in a thrilling four-set match on Court One in 2022, on his way to his first-ever Grand Slam final.
During the encounter, tempers flared, with Kyrgios urging the umpire and match referee to disqualify Tsitsipas after he had launched a ball into the crowd. Tsitsipas did not hesitate to make his feelings known after the match, branding Kyrgios a 'bully', with the Aussie suggesting Tsitsipas isn't well-liked on the tour in return.
All seemed to have been forgiven though when the duo played doubles together at the Diriyah Tennis Cup in December, where they were beaten by Hubert Hurkacz and Dominic Stricker. However, any thought they had put their differences to one side have been banished after Kyrgios responded to Tsitsipas comments he was a "clown."
In a recent interview, Tsitsipas stated that he didn't do anything to break the relationship, but it was Kyrgios who caused the rift between them according to his words.
“He was the one who broke our relationship. I didn’t do anything. In 2022 Wimbledon I was only trying to compete, while he was playing the clown. It also depends on how he wakes up each day.”
Now, Kyrgios has taken to social media to blast the Australian Open finalist, calling his comment "Embarrassing".
On Instagram, he wrote:
"Embarrassing quote whilst we all look at the scoreboard hahaha,"
Then on Twitter, he added:
"Right….. this the match he hit someone in the crowd….. belted another ball out of the stadium and got taught a lesson in front of another full stadium….."
Right….. this the match he hit someone in the crowd….. belted another ball out of the stadium and got taught a lesson in front of another full stadium…..
Tsitsipas on Kyrgios: "He was the one who broke our relationship. I didn't do anything. In 2022 Wimbledon I was only trying to compete, while he was playing the clown. It also depends on how he wakes up each day." 😥
