Nick Kyrgios might be having a good time with the mic for ESPN but the same cannot be said about his social media activity. The Australian has been in the news several times for replying harshly to tennis fans when they criticize him for something. A few days ago, he got engaged in a very ugly spat with fans over a comment he made about his ex-girlfriend and Russian tennis player Anna Kalinskaya.
A fan shared an image of Kyrgios and Kalinskaya, who is now dating Jannik Sinner, from the time they were together, to which Kyrgios replied, “Second serve”.
Fans felt that it was extremely disrespectful toward the Russian and felt that Nick did not know how to treat women. As a result of this, Kyrgios got engaged in an argument with the fans.
Kyrgios about Kalinskaya (who is Nick’s ex-girlfriend and Sinner’s current partner)
… ♂️ pic.twitter.com/WRKFlwsCtf
— Olly (@Olly_Tennis_) September 7, 2024
Another fan questioned ESPN’s choice of experts as he marked the post to highlight the Australian’s disgraceful remarks.
Ok so for you it s ok to say second serve to a woman who is now in a relationship with another person just because she was in a relationship with you first?
You don’t see the issue with it? You honestly don’t find it objectifying, offensive and abusive of the person?
— Gianluca Cassaro (@CassaroGianluca) September 7, 2024
You’re insulting anna not the one who commented !! Are you 9 yo ?
— Ndz (@narimene261709) September 7, 2024
the truth is that you were a mediocre and lazy tennis player.
Loser yesterday, ridiculous today.— marisabaretti (@marisabaretti) September 7, 2024
Other users also found Nick’s comment ‘disgusting’, which made them call him out for his behavior. They also pointed out the fact that he has been inactive in tennis for almost a year and a half and should concentrate on that before making ‘ridiculous’ comments about others.
Earlier, his opinion on Sinner’s doping controversy had also gained him quite a lot of criticism from the public. His initial reaction was to berate Sinner for escaping the provisional ban which many other players went through when tested positive for doping.
Kyrgios then went on to say during one of the US Open matches that he wouldn’t be able to act cordially with the Italian in the locker room. This again invited a negative response from the fans as they felt that he was unnecessarily targeting Sinner and to meet the latter in the locker room, the Australian first needed to resume playing.
While everybody has freedom of speech, especially on social media, the Australian should be mindful of comments he passes, both in writing and while commenting. He has hardly been able to impress fans with his speaking skills as mostly he leaves many offended by his harsh choice of words.
