Kyrgios hits back at Tomic: ‘The better player? That’s a bit of a stretch’

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The Australian Open is already heating up, thanks to the latest round of social media volleys between Aussies Bernard Tomic and Nick Kyrgios.

No. 259-ranked Tomic, who recently posted a video message declaring his intentions to mount a comeback and return to top form, hosted an ‘Ask Me Anything’ on his Instagram as he prepares for the upcoming Australian summer swing.

But things got interesting when he was asked who was the better player between himself and Kyrgios: “I still am,” he answered with a cheeky smile.

“Yeah, obviously Nick’s a good player, I mean top six or seven servers in the world,” Tomic said. “But I obviously beat him in Kooyong, a couple years back. Because I train with him, I pick where he’s serving and I know where he’s at, so that style doesn’t really bother me."

“Look, I'm more than happy to make it 2-0, whenever he wants,” he added. “All jokes aside, I wish NK the best. Good luck.”

Kyrgios was quick to set the record straight: that 6-3, 6-4 victory at the 2019 Kooyong Classic exhibition tournament doesn’t count.

“[Kooyong,] where people play exhibitions—and yes he did beat me there once,” Kyrgios acknowledged on his own Instagram. “But to say that he’s better? I have more titles. I don’t think he has any big scalp to his name, no Rafa [Nadal], no [Roger] Federer, no [Novak] Djokovic. To say that he’s better than me, it’s a bit of a stretch.”

To be fair, Kyrgios has a point: Tomic’s record against the Top 10 stands at 8-40, with victories over Robin Soderling, David Ferrer and Kei Nishikori to his name. By contrast, Kyrgios has been more of a consistent threat to the tour’s biggest names with a 21-33 record against the Top 10. Famously, Kyrgios has defeated all three members of the Big Three—Nadal, Federer and Djokovic—in his first time playing them.

Kyrgios concluded with some classy words of praise for his countryman, along with a challenge to let his tennis do the talking.

“We all know what BT’s capable of and I wish him the best,” Kyrgios said. “I ain’t no jealous person, I want success for everyone—so BT, we know what you are capable of brother, let’s see it.”