“I just feel we talk about this guy too much,” Cornes had said on SEn following Kyrgios crashing out. “He sits on his high horse and criticises everyone, be that ball kids, line judges, other opponents.”

Kyrgios’ finest year came in 2022, where he reached the Wimbledon final in singles, losing to Djokovic, and also won the men’s doubles at the Australian Open alongside close friend and compatriot Thanasi Kokkinakis.

Kyrgios was having none of it on social media, however, bristling at the criticism and firing back at Cornes: “Gotta love comments from a athlete who didn’t play a global sport appreciate the kind [words] brother x.” The duo also shared another small back-and-forth soon after. Kyrgios also claimed that he expected his loss to Fearnley to be his last singles match at the Australian Open, with the hometown favourite looking visibly uncomfortable during the match.

Nick Kyrgios once again found himself in the eye of a media storm, as he marked a return to competitive tennis after 18 months away from the sport due to chronic injury issues preventing his participation. Things didn’t go to plan, however, as he was knocked out of the very first round of his home grand slam at the Australian Open by unseeded Brit Jacob Fearnley in three routine straight sets.

End of the road for Kyrgios?

Kyrgios and Kokkinakis were looking to recreate that magic run this year, but Kokkinakis sustained some minor niggles during his brutal five set loss to another Brit in Jack Draper that could leave that partnership in jeopardy. “He’s a child,” he continued ruthlessly. “He’s a 29-year-old child. The way that he carries himself, the ambassador that he’s been, put all that in the mix, I think no one has disappointed more. No one has been spoken about more with less results than this guy over a long period of time.” Cornes’ comments come on the back of former world number one tennis player Andy Roddick calling Kyrgios out for being a tennis ‘influencer’, more concerned with likes than with results. Kyrgios was one of Australia’s most promising athletic prospects after he beat all of Rafael Nadal, Roger Federer, and Novak Djokovic in his first encounters against the ‘big three’. However, despite his electric style, huge serve, and blistering forehand, Kyrgios peaked at number 13 in the world and never cracked the ATP’s top ten.