Australian tennis star Nick Kyrgios has hit back at fellow rival Borna Coric after being described as a ‘general after a battle’ over his criticism of the Adria Tour.
The former top 20 player has been an outspoken critic of the controversy-stricken exhibition event, which was axed more than a month ago following an outbreak of COVID-19 among players and coaching staff. Coric, Novak Djokovic and Grigor Dimitrov all contracted the virus around the same time the tournament took place. The organisers came under fire over their anti-COVID measures which many thought were too relax.
“Don’t @ me for anything I’ve done that has been ‘irresponsible’ or classified as ‘stupidity’ – this takes the cake,” Kyrgios commented about the Adria Tour on social media.
Kyrgios has been the most outspoken tennis player to publicly criticise the event. Branding the decision to let it go ahead as ‘bone-headed.’ He also published a video on Instagram in which he hit out at Alexander Zverev after the German was caught attending a party despite saying that he would be going into quarantine.
Coric, who has now fully recovered from the virus, dismissed Kyrgios’ remarks during an interview with Croatian newspaper Jutarnji earlier this week. The world No.33 says he doesn’t care what his fellow player said before questioning his decision to publicly criticise Zverev.
“I read what he wrote, but I don’t care, ” Coric said. “He enjoys being a general after battle. Coming from someone else, I might have understood, but Kyrgios … It’s not really realistic.
“It’s his style, he works like that, there is no problem. Zverev behaved badly, but I don’t understand the need to criticize a colleague like that. I wouldn’t have. But, again, it’s Kyrgios.”
The comments have triggered a response from 25-year-old Kyrgios on Twitter. Who said Coric should care and all he is trying to do is hold those players involved in the Adria Tour accountable.
“You should care. Do you have rocks in your head?” He commented. “Again, you can stand up for your mates, I’m just trying to hold them accountable. When I said what I said, I didn’t intend to bother. They are tennis players, they aren’t special. Just as I thought Coric intellectual level = 0.”
In the aftermath of the tweet, one user accused Kyrgios of double standards after a photo emerged of him recently attending a nightclub with friends in Canberra. Something he strongly denies by arguing he followed the correct procedures in his area.
“We have zero cases in Canberra. I followed every rule, as did every citizen that lives with me in the ACT,” he said.
“They (those who played the Adria Tour) were playing a basketball game. With no social distancing, whilst there were crowds watching. Not sure what guidelines they were.”
All professional ATP matches have been suspended since March due to the COVID-19 pandemic. The Tour is set to resume next month at the Western and Southern Open, which has been relocated to the Billie Jean Tennis Center in New York.
