'Villain' Kyrgios hits out at 'ridiculous disrespect'

1 year ago 86

By Simon Brunsdon and Damien McCartney

Nick Kyrgios has erstwhile again taken to societal media to deed backmost astatine perceived disapproval aft helium sensationally pulled retired of the United Cup connected the eve of the tournament.

The 27-year-old firebrand from Canberra was expected to pb Team Australia successful the caller mixed-gender event, being held crossed 3 antithetic cities from Thursday.

But arsenic media gathered connected Wednesday to interrogation players from each 18 teams, organisers announced Kyrgios had withdrawn from the tournament, citing the request to retrieve from injuries helium sustained portion competing successful Dubai earlier this month.

Watch Team Australia instrumentality connected the satellite successful the United Cup, unrecorded and exclusive on 9Now and Stan Sport.

Greek superstar and long-time Kyrgios rival Stefanos Tsitsipas took a sly excavation astatine the Aussie implicit his withdrawal, portion Tennis Australia brag Craig Tiley leapt to the player's defence implicit the determination not to correspond his country.

And connected Thursday, existent to form, Kyrgios took to Twitter to respond to immoderate disapproval that had travel his way.

"Haha truthful aft each this, each the media, journalism saying however atrocious I americium for the sport, disrespecting the crippled (and) conscionable a axenic villain, I americium going to beryllium the fig 1 occurrence connected Netflix… to turn our instrumentality base, fundamentally trying to enactment tennis connected the representation again," helium tweeted.

"And fundamentally putting much wealth successful everyone's pockets that's progressive with tennis, you each look truly ridiculous present your apology should beryllium arsenic large arsenic your disrespect was."

EXCLUSIVE: How Rafter made 'ratbag' Federer 'turn to water

The archetypal occurrence of Netflix's caller tennis documentary "Break Point" volition screen Kyrgios astatine the 2022 Australian Open, including helium and Thanasi Kokkinakis' tally to triumph successful the men's doubles draw.

The bid is akin to Formula 1's wildly fashionable "Drive To Survive", which has seen the athletics detonate successful popularity since its debut connected Netflix successful 2018.

One of the astir communal criticisms of Kyrgios - peculiarly from immoderate of the much accepted tennis fans - is that his on-court antics aren't bully for the representation of the game.

But if "Break Point" tin beryllium arsenic palmy arsenic "Drive To Survive", those antics volition nary uncertainty beryllium a large reason. down that.

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