Bernard Tomic and Nick Kyrgios have sparked a war of words on social media, and it doesn't look like it will end anytime soon.
Tomic had claimed that he was a better player than Kyrgios, and when this was told to the younger Aussie during a Q&A session on Instagram, he erupted and refuted it.
Kyrgios fired back, stating that he had a better career-high ranking, more prize money, and more match wins than Tomic. He also opined that, unlike his former doubles partner, he had years left of playing at the top level.
In reply, Tomic explained that he is Kyrgios' childhood idol and that the 27-year-old has always been in his shadow. Once more, Kyrgios would not throw in the towel on the spat and branded Tomic the "most hated athlete" in Australia, as that's the only accolade Tomic has over him.
Kyrgios also pointed to the indisputable fact that Tomic has declined massively in recent years and is currently outside the Top 400 in the ATP rankings. He requested the 29-year-old to call him if he needed to improve on his game.
Tomic challenged Kyrgios to a tennis or boxing match putting $1 million on the line. Kyrgios declined the offer and also shared a story in which he said that he paid for his colleague's flight when he hit rock bottom.
"Tomic let's not forget the time I payed for your flight home from Shanghai because you had no money. Rewrite history, you are the most hated athlete in Australia. You are right, no one can take over that."
Tomic took to social media to clarify that they were teammates in doubles at the time and had lost his wallet, and that he had paid back the debt. Instead, he alleged that Kyrgios suffered a similar fate in the past and he saved the day for him but never asked his money back.
"Seriously ... WTF. Why you throwing cheap shots Nicky boy. Yes you helped me out in Shanghai when we were mates playing doubles together. I lost my wallet, and I paid you back. Big deal (laughing emoji)."
"The same thing happened to you in Atlanta. I paid your way when you lost your card, which, if I was petty like you, you’d still owe me. But I don’t go telling the papers this. This is all childish. My offer still stands bro. Step up or shut up."