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Kyrgios’ response to Djokovic’s criticism amid the ongoing verbal feud.

Nick Kyrgios and Novak Djokovic war of words continues as the Aussie called the Serb “A Very Strange Cat”. This is how Nick Kyrgios countered the criticism from Novak Djokovic after the world number one said he doesn’t have much respect for the Australian off court.

Kyrgios has instigated an ongoing verbal row with Djokovic, which was triggered by the Serb’s ill-fated Adria Tour exhibition series last year as the coronavirus pandemic raged.

Djokovic said in Melbourne over the weekend he had varied opinions on Nick Kyrgios, who not long ago called him a “tool”, recognizing his tennis abilities but not his off-court antics.

“It’s a weird one for me. I interpret his comments — he said he doesn’t respect me off the court,” said Kyrgios, who has also earlier attacked the 17-time Grand Slam winner as having “an fascination with wanting to be liked”. “It really would make perfect sense to me if he was like, ‘I don’t respect the guy on the court’, because I understand if he doesn’t concur with some of my antics on the court that I’ve done in the past. “I’m not quite sure how you can’t respect me off the court,” he added. “I feel like I’ve gone about things exceptionally well, especially throughout the pandemic.”

Kyrgios said during his time missing from the game last year, he provided food to people in need and was extremely careful to abide by Covid-19 guidelines, choosing not to travel for the US and French Opens. “I truly do a lot off the court,” he said. “But he’s a very weird cat, Novak is. A remarkable tennis player, but sadly someone who’s partying with his shirt off during a global pandemic, I don’t know if I can take any limp comments from that man.”

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Djokovic’s Adria Tour was established to plug the gap in the virus-hit tennis schedule last year, but was broadly condemned for a lack of mask-wearing and social-distancing.

The Serb was among numerous players seen partying at a crammed Belgrade night club despite the danger from the virus.

Fact remains that Djokovic had organized the Adria Tour considering the frame of mind of the tennis fraternity at the time of the lock downs. Many had considered this a welcome change and had looked forward to playing world class tennis.

Both Nick Kyrgios and Novak Djokovic are now competing in the 2021 Australian Open and let us hope that they put their difference of opinions behind them and uphold the spirit of tennis.

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