In his recent piece for Australia’s new PlayersVoice website, Nick Kyrgios insisted–again–that he does not belong in the same category as countryman Bernard Tomic. Both talented Aussies have endured myriad off-the-court issues, but Kyrgios has remained inside or near the top 20 on a consistent basis while Tomic has plunged to No. 146 in the world.
“You’d be wrong if you tried to lump me in the same category as Bernard Tomic, as Kitty Chiller and tons of others have over time,” Kyrgios wrote. “Bernie has lost his way. We were pretty good mates when I was younger. I obviously didn’t know the tennis tour too well back then and we were guys of similar age, representing the same country, on the road at many of the same tournaments.
“But a lot has changed since then. He needs to figure out what he wants to do. I can’t relate to anything he says anymore. He says one thing and he does the other. And he contradicts himself all the time. He says tennis doesn’t make him happy, that he doesn’t really like the game, yet he says the only thing that will really make him happy is winning a grand slam. It doesn’t make sense at all.”
Due to poor play and admitted disinterest, Tomic is 9-16 this season and has lost in the first round in five of his last eight tournaments–including right away at the French Open, Wimbledon, and the U.S. Open. The 24-year-old did not play a single tournament in between the two most recent majors.
Kyrgios, who registers at 20th in the rankings despite being plagued by injuries in 2017, is currently leading Australia’s Davis Cup team against Belgium in a semifinal tie. Tomic, unsurprisingly, is not on the roster.
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