‘How dare he?’ – Kyrgios’ dig after tickets sell out

Nick Kyrgios had a dig at his critics after his warm-up match against Novak Djokovic in Melbourne on Friday sold out in 58 minutes.

“Wow Nick Kyrgios is bad for the sport! Wow what a disgrace, a national embarrassment!” Kyrgios, 27, tweeted.

“How dare he sell out another stadium, the arrogance.”

Tickets for the match on the 14,820-capacity court were priced at 20 Australian dollars (£11.30).

Kyrgios has long divided opinion with his on-court outbursts and antics, which are often displayed alongside huge natural talent and eye-catching trick shots.

Some of his conduct, such as spitting in the direction of a fan at Wimbledon, has resulted in fines, while other episodes have been viewed as humorous exchanges with the crowd.

He was most recently criticised by Australian co-captain Lleyton Hewitt after pulling out of the United Cup in early January with an injury just minutes before his pre-tournament news conference.

Hewitt said he had been unaware of Kyrgios’ withdrawal until his announcement, but Kyrgios argued he had been thrown “under the bus”.

From ‘strange cat’ to ‘official bromance’

Kyrgios and Djokovic have had an uneasy relationship in the past, with the Australian branding the 21-time Grand Slam winner a “tool” and a “strange cat” in 2021.

But Kyrgios said a “bromance” had blossomed in the run-up to the pair’s Wimbledon final last summer, which the Serb won in four sets.

In his on-court victory speech in SW19, Djokovic told Kyrgios: “I never thought I would say so many nice things about you! OK, it’s official: it is a bromance.”

Djokovic, who returns to next week’s Australian Open a year on from his controversial deportation, is coming off the back of winning the Adelaide International 1 title on Sunday.

Kyrgios, playing in his first match since injuring his ankle in October, will be hoping to defend his Australian Open doubles title alongside Thanasi Kokkinakis after an impressive 2022 season which saw him reach a Grand Slam singles final for the first time.