When Nick Kyrgios Called Pat Rafter “Clueless” in Past Australian Open Beef

With Nick Kyrgios gearing up for his return to the ATP Tour, Pat Rafter is one of the many looking forward to his comeback. Rafter has labeled the 29-year-old as a “talented” player and made a bold prediction about his chances in the Australian Open 2025. However, his recent remarks have brought attention to their past squabble, particularly when Kyrgios referred to Rafter as “clueless”.

In January 2023, Rafter appeared on the Happy Slam podcast, where he discussed the Australian Open 2022 doubles champions. Despite their victory, the Australian legend was critical of Kyrgios and Thanasi Kokkinakis’ conduct, comparing their behavior to that of a “circus.”

“I don’t know how that operates with them and doesn’t really bother me either way. It’s a bit of a circus…” Rafter said.

Kyrgios, well-known for responding to his critics, did just that. He slammed the former World No.1’s “circus” take, calling him “clueless.”

“He would have absolutely zero idea on what the locker room thinks. Me and kokk have great relationships with most of the players on tour. Guy is clueless,” he commented on X.

He would have absolutely zero idea on what the locker room thinks me and kokk have great relationships with most of the players on tour. Guy is clueless.

— Nicholas Kyrgios (@NickKyrgios) January 11, 2023

Rafter chose not to escalate the situation by responding to Kyrgios’ social media remarks. Almost two years later, the two-time Grand Slam champion appears to have put the incident behind him, praising Kyrgios ahead of his return to the tour.

Rafter wouldn’t be surprised to see Kyrgios in the 2025 Australian Open semifinal

Nick Kyrgios has been absent from the ATP tour for a large part of the past two years. Undoubtedly, his return to action has been widely discussed within the tennis community.

Pundits have differing predictions for Kyrgios’ performance in the Melbourne-based Grand Slam. But Rafter is confident that the Aussie star will have a strong showing.

“You’d never write anyone off with the talent that Nick has… If he gets to the quarters, the semis, it wouldn’t surprise me,” Rafter said.

 

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It is still premature to make predictions about Kyrgios’ chances of making a deep run at the Australian Open 2025. But his performance at the Brisbane International in the lead-up to the year’s first Grand Slam can offer a glimpse of what to expect from the unpredictable Aussie player.