‘Old heads don’t understand’ – Nick Kyrgios slams jealous tennis legend over prize money and show-off decision

Nick Kyrgios got into a verbal war with another tennis player.

The 28-year-old player came to the defense of his doubles partner Thanasi Kokkinakis and at the same time harshly criticized the legend of Australian tennis Todd Woodbridge.

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Kyrgios was recently eliminated from the Australian Open Championship British player Jacob Fearnley in the first round.

It was his long-awaited comeback after not playing on the ATP Tour since his loss to Yibing Wu in June 2023.

While Kyrgios doubts whether he will ever play singles again at the Australian Open, the 28-year-old will be in action in Melbourne when he teams up with Thanasi Kokkinakis in the men’s doubles.

His partner Kokkinakis recently came under fire from Woodbridge, who said the world number 65 had not lived up to his potential.

Woodbridge is considered one of the greatest doubles players of all time, having won 16 Grand Slam titles in men’s doubles and a further six in mixed doubles.

The three-time Australian Open champion believes Kokkinkias’ decision to play in exhibitions is hurting his career and has been plagued by injuries in recent months.

Kokkinakis was forced to pull out of the hometown Adelaide International last week with a shoulder injury.

“He’s really fun to schedule with,” Woodbridge told Wide World of Sports“Morning feed”.

“He played the Challengers at the end of the year and then he went and played exhibition matches that he didn’t need.

“Yeah, money’s great and we all like to put it in our pockets and that’s exactly what he’s done, but this kind of schedule makes it difficult to start the year.”

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Both Kokkinakis and Kyrgios hit back at the 22-time Grand Slam champion and slammed the 53-year-old.

“That’s why he tries to host every game show under the sun,” Kokkinankis said, referring to Woodbridge’s hosting of popular game shows such as Tipping Point Australia.

“We’re trying to make a living just like he is.”

Kyrgios then lashed out at Woodbridge on Instagram, calling the 53-year-old an “old head” who had never been offered the same opportunity as current players.

“Facts. We’re here earning 6-7 figures from these (exhibition matches) – we have every right to go and get that money,” Kyrgios placed.

“The game is a lot more physical now than when some of these older heads were playing. “Don’t be jealous, we earn bread.”

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“They would have done the same thing … it’s just that they didn’t get six figures to show up for a few days,” Kyrgios said.

Kokkinakis and Kyrgios will team up on January 16 when they face Aleksandar Vukic/James Duckworth in the men’s first-round doubles match.