Bernard Tomic-Nick Kyrgios feud goes nuclear

The feud between Australian tennis stars Nick Kyrgios and Bernard Tomic has gone nuclear, with the pair trading more barbs as the French Open continued.
While neither is featuring at Roland Garros this year, it hasn’t stopped their lingering war of words – with Tomic firing a shot on Wednesday, saying he’d always been Kyrgios’ ‘idol’.
Kyrgios had already stoked the fire when asked about Tomic’s comments from early this year, in which he said he gloated he was better than the former Australian No.1 – telling the Gold Coast star to ‘quiet down’.
“Better in what way? I’ve got a higher career high, more money, more wins and give back whenever I can,” Kyrgios said.
“It’s time for Bernard Tomic to just quiet down. He ain’t even playing anymore. I’ve got years left.”
That prompted Tomic to declare the “only logical explanation” was that he was Kyrgios’ idol.
“He knows he can’t rewrite history. The records that I set when I was 16, 17, 18, and 19,” Tomic said in an Instagram video.
“He’s always been in my shadows growing up.”
“That’s why anytime someone mentions my name to him, it gets under his skin.”
And get under Kyrgios’ skin, it did, with the at-times controversial talent firing up Instagram to set the record straight – posting a photo highlighting Tomic’s recent struggles on tour, along with a pointed message.
“Bernard, I didn’t realise it was this bad. I low key feel bad now,” Kyrgios posted.
“Hit me up if you need me to help you remember how to play. Geezus.
“Let’s not forget the time I payed (sic) for your flight home from Shanghai because you had no money.
“Hahaha re write history, you are the most HATED athlete in Australia. You are right, no one can take over that.”
The duo are both looking to contest next month’s Wimbledon tournament, with Tomic declaring earlier this year that he “will win” while Kyrgios has recently claimed he’s the best grass-court player on the planet.
Spanish teenage sensation Carlos Alcaraz and third seed Alexander Zverev both saved a match point in five-set French Open thrillers, while reigning champion Novak Djokovic eased into the third round Wednesday.
Alcaraz, widely tipped as a title contender, rallied from the brink to defeat compatriot Albert Ramos-Vinolas 6-1, 6-7 (7/9), 5-7, 7-6 (7/2), 6-4 after four hours and 34 minutes.
“I feel tired,” said Alcaraz. “It was a great battle, a great match and we fought until the last point.”
The 19-year-old Alcaraz is attempting to become just the eighth teenager to capture a major men’s title, and backed as the man to break the stranglehold of Djokovic and Rafael Nadal.
But he was pushed to the limit by the seasoned Ramos-Vinolas, 15 years his elder and whose best performance at a Grand Slam came when he made the quarter-finals in Paris six years ago.
Alcaraz, the tour’s dominant player in 2022 with a season-leading four titles, fought off a match point to break Ramos-Vinolas as he served at 5-4 in the fourth set.
He then clawed his way back from 3-0 in the decider, producing an outrageous backhand pass to retrieve the break and more sensational baseline scrambling to move 5-4 in front before closing out victory with an ace.

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

*