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Nick Kyrgios is the Australian bad boy of tennis. On the court you can see the professional athlete talking to back to umpires and the crowd but he’s not slamming just a tennis racket against the floor, he has taken to Twitter to slam the recent behaviour of rival Novak Djokovic. Overnight, it was confirmed that the 17-Grand Slam champion tested positive to Coronavirus.
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The news comes after Djokovic took part in a tennis exhibition series he organised in the Balkan region and brought players in from other countries for the event. The move was widely criticised by the tennis community and Kyrgios has said the “stupidity” seen by the 33-year-old “takes the cake”. Taking to Twitter, the Australian player retweeted a video of Djokovic partying shirtless.
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“Prayers up to all the players that have contracted Covid-19. Don’t @ me for anything I’ve done that has been ‘irresponsible’ or classified as ‘stupidity’ – this takes the cake,” Kyrgios published to social media.
Prayers up to all the players that have contracted Covid – 19. Don’t @ me for anything I’ve done that has been ‘irresponsible’ or classified as ‘stupidity’ – this takes the cake. https://t.co/lVligELgID
— Nicholas Kyrgios (@NickKyrgios) June 23, 2020
Images have surfaced from the event where no clear social distancing was observed. Djokovic has said he will remain in self-isolation for 14 days and repeat the test in five days. He has also apologised to anyone who became infected as a result of the tournament.
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Two-time Wimbledon champion Andy Murray agreed with the criticism surrounding the lack of social distancing measures at the event, saying it was “not a good look, ” according to news.com.au. Fellow tennis athlete, Naomi Osaka – the highest paid female sports player in the world – poked fun at the controversy on Twitter.
— NaomiOsaka大坂なおみ (@naomiosaka) June 23, 2020
In April, Kyrgios posted on social media that he would assist those in need during the pandemic and has kept his word by delivering boxes of food to the needy and hungry.
The controversy further reiterates the stigma around catching COVID-19 as irresponsible.
Stay tuned for any further details.
