Djokovic swipes Kyrgios: ‘Off the court I don’t have much respect for him’

Novak Djokovic has shared his brutally honest assessment of Aussie Nick Kyrgios before shutting down further questions.

Nick Kyrgios is still the talk of Melbourne Park.

Novak Djokovic has given a frosty response to Nick Kyrgios after their hotel quarantine storm.

The World No. 1 spoke to reporters before the Australian Open starts on Monday and it was his blunt reply to a question about the Australian that raised eyebrows.

“I think he’s good for the sport. Obviously he’s someone that is different. He goes about his tennis, he goes about his off court things in his own authentic way,” Djokovic said

“I have respect for him. I have respect for everyone else really because everyone has a right and freedom to choose how they want to express themselves, what they want to do. My respect goes to him for the tennis he’s playing.

“I think he’s very talented guy. He’s got a big game. He has proven that he has a quality to beat any player really in the world in the past.

“Off the court, I don’t have much respect for him, to be honest. That’s where I’ll close it. I really don’t have any further comments for him, his own comments for me or anything else he’s trying to do.”

Nick Kyrgios has been his regular rollercoaster ride this summer.

It comes after Kyrgios last month labelled Djokovic a “tool” for his supposed list of demands for players completing their 14-days of hard lockdown. The letter sent to Tennis Australia boss Craig Tiley called for players to be housed in mansions with tennis courts in their backyards during their quarantine period.

The Serbian later issued another letter to clarify the list and defend himself in the wake of fierce criticism.

Kyrgios also re-posted an old quote to his Instagram stories claiming there’s no way Djokovic, the winner of 17 grand slam singles titles, could ever be the greatest male tennis player of all time.

“No matter how many grand slams he wins, he will never be the greatest for me,” Kyrgios told the No Challenges Remaining podcast in 2019.

“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.”

Kyrgios uploaded that quote again to Instagram on Thursday night, adding the caption: “I ain’t holding back.”