“Your apologies should be as strong as your disrespect”

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Nick Kyrgios has hit back at his critics, particularly the media, for calling him out after he withdrew from the United Cup a day before the event started.

Announced in September this year, the inaugural edition of the new mixed team tournament replaced the ATP Cup as the warm-up event for the first Grand Slam of the year, the Australian Open. It will see men and women from 18 countries compete. The matches will take place from December 29 to January 8 in Perth, Brisbane and Sydney.

Just before Wednesday’s pre-tournament press conference, Kyrgios pulled out, citing an ankle injury he suffered at an exhibition event in Dubai recently. The decision came as a shock even to his teammates. The 27-year-old was due to face Briton Cameron Norrie and Spaniard Rafael Nadal in the group stage but was replaced by 24th-placed Alex de Minaur.

The Wimbledon 2022 runner-up received a lot of criticism from the tennis world during his last-minute exit, which prompted him to react. Kyrgios has taken to social media to defend himself by stating that he, along with Thanasi Kokkinakis, will be featured in the first episode of Break Point, a tennis documentary that will be released soon on Netflix. He added that he was trying to boost the popularity of tennis.

“Haha so after all of this, all the media, journalism saying how bad I am for the sport, disrespectful of the game and just a pure villain, I’m going to be episode number 1 on Netflix to grow our fan base, basically trying to put tennis back on the map,” Kyrgios tweeted.

Haha so after all of this, all the media, journalism saying how bad I am for the sport, disrespectful of the game and just a pure villain, I’m going to be episode number 1 on Netflix to grow our fan base, trying basically putting tennis on the map again

Haha so after all of this, all the media, journalism saying how bad I am for the sport, disrespectful of the game and just a pure villain, I’m going to be episode number 1 on Netflix to grow our fan base, trying basically putting tennis back on the map “And basically putting more money in the pockets of everyone involved in tennis, you all look really ridiculous now. Your excuses should be as strong as your disrespect,” he wrote.

And basically by putting more money in the pockets of everyone involved in tennis, you all look really ridiculous now your excuses should be as strong as your disrespect.

And basically by putting more money in the pockets of everyone involved in tennis, you all look really ridiculous now your excuses should be as strong as your disrespect. ‘The real knows the real’ – Nick Kyrgios after Rafael Nadal congratulates him Rafael Nadal (L) and Nick Kyrgios

Rafael Nadal praised Nick Kyrgios during a pre-tournament press conference in Sydney on Wednesday. The Spaniard says the 22nd-ranked player has all the weapons to win any tournament he features in.

“I know he doesn’t like playing Roland Garros very much. It’s the only tournament where it seems he doesn’t like playing too much. The rest of the tournaments he played the final at Wimbledon, and at New York, he was close to the final, I think, with a very positive chance. He can win in any tournament he is in. He has all the talent, the weapons to win against any player. Well sure he can,” Nadal said.

The Australian responded by showing his gratitude to the 22-time Grand Slam champion.

“The real know the real,” Nick Kyrgios wrote on his Instagram story.

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