Izuchukwu Okosi
Tennis sensation, Nick Kyrgios, has hit back at his critics after tickets for his warm-up match against Novak Djokovic in Melbourne on Friday sold out in 58 minutes.
Australian, Kyrgios, will play the Serbian in a repeat of last year’s Wimbledon final in a fundraiser at the prestigious Rod Laver Arena before the Australian Open that begins on January 16.
Join our WhatsApp ChannelKyrgios put out a cryptic message on his Twitter page.
“Wow Nick Kyrgios is bad for the sport! Wow what a disgrace, a national embarrassment!” Kyrgios, 27, tweeted cheekily.
“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 (N6, 197.08, Nigerian Naira).
Kyrgios has thrilled and frustrated tennis faithful at will – with his enormous talents and on-court antics and outbursts dividing opinions.
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The match against Djokovic takes place on the same day as the release of Netflix documentary Break Point in which Kyrgios speaks about a “chaotic” period in his career.
“My life was just kind of spiralling out of control – drinking every single night,” Kyrgios says in the documentary, which is a 10-part series focusing on the next generation of players who are likely to challenge the duopoly of Djokovic and Rafael Nadal.
“For four, five years of my career, it was just so chaotic.
“I don’t really have any expectations in my matches anymore – I just want to go out there, have fun, and take the pressure off, and we can kind of live more of a normal life.”
Kyrgios acknowledges in the documentary that he does sometimes “cross the line” on court.
“In the heat of the battle, I’m two different people,” he says. “That’s just my passion, that’s my emotion.”
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.”
Izuchukwu Okosi is a Nigerian sports and entertainment journalist with two decades of experience in the media industry having begun his media journey in 2002 as an intern at Mundial Sports International (MSI) and Africa Independent Television (AIT), owners of Daar Communications Plc.
