The battle of the Aussie bad boys: Bernard Tomic takes a veiled swipe at Nick Kyrgios as the tennis stars prepare to face off ahead of the Australian Open
- Bernard Tomic took a swipe at opponent Nick Kyrgios ahead of Australian Open
- Tomic said the 23-year-old was 'mentally struggling' and would need the win
- The 26-year-old has been in the public spotlight multiple times for his comments
- Kyrgios has also drawn attention for on-court rants and dropping out of matches
Australian tennis bad boy Bernard Tomic has taken a backhanded swipe at Nick Kyrgios ahead of the pair's showdown at the Australian Open.
The 26-year-old said he felt Kyrgios was not mentally equipped for the upcoming showdown on Wednesday, news.com.au reported
'We’re good friends and it’s good for us to play — he’s needing it more than anything because he’s a little bit mentally struggling right now.'
Tennis giant Bernard Tomic (pictured) has taken a backhanded swipe at Nick Kyrgios ahead of the pair's showdown at the Australian Open
The 26-year-old said he felt Nick Kyrgios (pictured) was not mentally equipped for the upcoming showdown on Wednesday
The pair will face off in the Kooyong Classic in Melbourne - almost three years since Kyrgios skipped out on the Davis Cup and Tomic accused him of faking illness.
Staying true to form, Tomic has unloaded fresh barbs on Kyrgios.
He said he hoped his opponent would take the upcoming bout seriously.
To top it off, Tomic said he 'couldn't really care less' about winning bragging rights.
His comments come in spite of the fact he is ranked World no.85 and Kyrgios is ranked 51.
This isn't the first time Tomic has been in the spotlight for his comments either.
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He drew public ire back in 2016 with his use of the word 'retard' during a press conference.
In response to questions as to why he was waiting for his opponent Spaniard Fernando Verdascoon on the court at the beginning of the match, Tomic said he 'had to stand on court like a retard'.
Tomic didn't seem to do himself any favours again in 2018 following comments on the back of his three-set final-round qualifying loss to Italian Lorenzo Sonego.
Asked where he would go after the loss, Tomic clapped back at journalists.
'I just count money, that’s all I do. I count my millions,' he said.
'You go do what I did [on court]. Bye bye.'
A brief stint on 'I’m A Celebrity, Get Me Out Of Here' in 2018 tracked Tomic's fall from grace in the tennis world.
Kyrgios and Tomic (pictured) will face off in the Kooyong Classic in Melbourne - almost three years since Kyrgios skipped out on the Davis Cup and Tomic accused him of faking illness
Kyrgios (pictured) is well-known for his on-court meltdowns and yelled at an umpire at the 2016 Australian Open over music playing in the crowd, and he let an f-bomb drop in the 2017 U.S Open
Though he seemed to have made a comeback to the sport after his win against Jack Sock on Tuesday.
The match marked his first hitout since September, when he stole the Chengdu Open in China.
While Tomic has drawn plenty of attention on and off-the-court, the same can be said for Kyrgios, who is well-known for his on-court meltdowns.
The 23-year-old yelled at an umpire at the 2016 Australian Open over music playing in the crowd, and let an f-bomb drop in the 2017 U.S Open.
He has drawn the ire of punters for dropping out of matches due to illnesses.
Kyrgios retired mid-match against Cameron Norrie with a hip injury during the Atlanta Open, and retired hurt from the Washington Open when he played American Tennys Sandgren.
For walking off court in the Shanghai Masters in 2017 for stomach problems and an injured shoulder, Kyrgios copped a US$10,000 fine.
Kyrgios (pictured) retired mid-match against Cameron Norrie with a hip injury during the Atlanta Open, and retired hurt from the Washington Open when he played American Tennys Sandgren
