MELBOURNE (AUSTRALIA), 22 Ene. (dpa/EP) –
Australian tennis player Nick Kyrgios has assured that he was threatened by the coaches of his rivals in the doubles match on Friday at the Australian Open, the first ‘Grand Slam’ of the season.
Kyrgios and his good friend Thanasi Kokkinakis pulled off one of the biggest upsets of the tournament so far by defeating top seeds Nikola Mektic and Mate Pavic in the second round of the men’s doubles.
In the midst of a tense atmosphere, Kyrgios hit one of the Croats with a ball. “Just to let you know, after mincing them in doubles, my opponents’ coach and coach threatened a fight in the players’ locker room. Tennis is a soft sport, and it’s all because Kokkinakis and I moved in and hit them with a tennis ball,” he said.
His compatriot Kokkinakis responded on social networks. “That was crazy! Mans thought it was the UFC,” he said.
Mektic and Pavic had high hopes of winning the tournament but were met by the Australian duo and their rowdy supporters.
Daniil Medvedev blasted the crowd after his singles win over Kyrgios. “They’re pretty loud. They obviously cheer on the Aussies. It wouldn’t hurt them to show some respect to all the opposition, to other players,” Pavic said.