Alexander Zverev slates Nick Kyrgios to the press by dismissing his chances as a serious contender for the majors.
Tension has been rising between the two players as Zverev fired shots at Kyrgios following their ATP Cup row and before their Australian Open 2020 campaign.
Kyrgios got under Zverev’s skin during the ATP Cup when he started doing push-ups in the team zone every time the German served a double-fault against Alex De Minaur in their group match.
“To beat the best, you have to play at your best for a longer period of time.”
It seems Zverev was not about to let this go lightly and took the chance to throw a few digs of his own when he was quizzed by the Australian Open journalists about his relationship with Nick.
“There’s a lot of young guys that are right now, no offence, just better than him,” Zverev said.
“I think Stefanos [Tsitsipas] is better than him. Just simply because he is better over five sets and that’s what you need as well.
“This is not a three-set match where you can win in an hour-and-20 (minutes) and get off the court.
Zverev was also quick to point out that Kyrgios is not even currently the best Australian amongst the NextGen players on the ATP Tour.
“In fact Alex De Minaur is just simply more consistent right now as well,” Zverev added.
“I don’t know why not a lot of people talk about him because he’s been playing unbelievable at the ATP Cup.”
Was Kyrgios out of order with his behaviour or is Zverev just bitter?
Heard a rumor that Grigor Dmitrov almost had a physical altercation with Nick.
So yeah, not a lot of players appreciate Nick’s personality and antics.
As for the issue about Nick getting more press at ATP Cup and super-exposure while Alex who is the current top in AU was left in the dark, it looks more like an attempt by ATP Tour to increase their social engagement by using a polarizing figure (Nick) vs the more conservative Alex.
Am sure its nothing personal.
Yeah Nick can certainly stir things up! But as you said he does bring in he crowds so is he good or bad for the sport?