MX23RW : Saturday, November 16 08:37:47| >> :600:173742326:173742326:

Nick Kyrgios brands Djokovic "cringeworthy" and Nadal "arrogant"

Nick Kyrgios brands Djokovic
© Reuters
Kyrgios gave some strong opinions about the leading players in the game.

Nick Kyrgios has revealed his strong dislike for "cringeworthy" Novak Djokovic and "super salty" Rafael Nadal.

The outspoken Australian gave a candid interview to the No Challenges Remaining podcast in which he opened up about his attitude to tennis and his fellow players.

Kyrgios reserved his strongest words for world number one Djokovic and vowed to imitate the Serbian's celebration, in which he throws his arms out to the crowd to show his love.

"I just feel like he has a sick obsession with wanting to be liked," said Kyrgios about Djokovic. "Like he wants to be like Roger (Federer). I just can't stand him. This whole celebration thing he does after matches, it's so cringeworthy.

"He's a champion of the sport, one of the greatest we'll ever see. I honestly think he will get the grand slam count (for most titles in history), he'll pass Federer.

"No matter how many grand slams he wins, he will never be the greatest for me simply because I've played him twice and, I'm sorry, but if you can't beat me, you're not the greatest of all time.

"If I play him and I beat him, I'm doing his celebration in front of him. That would be hilarious."

Novak Djokovic's celebration was described as
Novak Djokovic's celebration was described as "cringeworthy" by Nick Kyrgios (John Walton/PA)

Kyrgios also accused Nadal of being a sore loser and labelled his uncle and long-time coach Toni an "idiot".

Nadal claimed Kyrgios lacked respect after losing to him in Acapulco in February, with the Australian attempting an underarm serve on his way to victory.

Kyrgios, who also described Nadal's Spanish countryman Fernando Verdasco as "the most arrogant person ever", said: "He's my polar opposite. And he's super salty.

"When he wins, it's fine, he won't say anything bad, he'll credit the opponent. But as soon as I beat him it's just like he has no respect for me, my fans, and no respect to the game.

"And then uncle Toni came out saying, 'he lacks education'. I'm like, I did 12 years at school you idiot. I'm very educated. We do things differently. Why can't we just accept that?"

ga('create', 'UA-72310761-1', 'auto', {'name': 'pacontentapi'});
ga('pacontentapi.set', 'referrer', location.origin);
ga('pacontentapi.set', 'dimension1', 'By Press Association Sport staff');
ga('pacontentapi.set', 'dimension2', '0a659eff-3bf5-4081-ace7-c45ecdfc491a');
ga('pacontentapi.set', 'dimension3', 'paservice:sport,paservice:sport:uk,paservice:sport:world');
ga('pacontentapi.set', 'dimension6', 'story');
ga('pacontentapi.set', 'dimension7', 'composite');
ga('pacontentapi.set', 'dimension8', null);
ga('pacontentapi.set', 'dimension9', 'sport:tennis');
ga('pacontentapi.send', 'pageview', { 'location': location.href, 'page': (location.pathname + location.search + location.hash), 'title': 'Kyrgios takes aim at \u2018cringeworthy\u2019 Djokovic and \u2018super salty\u2019 Nadal'});

ID:359425: cacheID:359425:1false2false3false:QQ:: from db desktop :LenBod:restore:7342:
Restore Data
Share this article now:
Serena Williams shouts during her quarter-final against Karolina Pliskova on January 23, 2019
Read Next:
Knee injury forces Serena Williams out of Italian Open
>
rhs 2.0
Today's games header


Sports Mole provides in-depth previews and predictions for every match from the biggest leagues and competitions in world football.
Argentina's Lionel Messi kisses the World Cup trophy after collecting the Golden Ball award on December 18, 2022Sign up for our FREE daily preview newsletter direct to your inbox!