Australian Open doubles champion Nick Kyrgios has turned down a one million dollar challenge from compatriot Bernard Tomic as a way of settling their differences.
Both players engaged in a spat on Instagram on Wednesday night where Kyrgios described Tomic as "the most hated athlete in Australia". Tomic, who is currently ranked 418 in the world, has made the offer of one million dollars for either a game of tennis or a boxing match. The duo have played each other professionally just once before at the 2019 Kooyong Classic, with Tomic securing a 6-3 6-4 victory.
"At the end of the day, talk is cheap," Tomic told the Sydney Morning Herald. "I'm ready to make it 2-0 whenever you want. Put your money where your mouth is. Let the public decide who is better. I'll beat you anywhere, any place. If not, shut your mouth and go back to playing doubles."
"I'll dominate you one-on-one. To not make excuses, I'll even play you on grass, whenever you want.
"You know what? Let's sort this out in the boxing ring. Put your gloves on, I'll dominate you there also. Let's see who's better once and for all."
Tomic most recently lost in the first round of a $53,120 event in Mexico on the Challenger tour. This was easy ammunition for Kyrgios, who responded by saying Tomic would have to work his way up the rankings if they were to play each other at tennis again.
"BT, I’m still playing on the tour, my brother. I’ve got bigger fish to fry,” Kyrgios said. "I’m actually in a grass court training block right now preparing for tournaments. Wimbledon and then US Open swing.
"I understand you’re at that Future and Challenger level right now but if you want to play me and you want to set this straight, just get back to the top of the sport. I’m right here, I’m not going anywhere. I still feel that I’m elite. I’m still beating some of the best in the world quite easily.
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"I’ll be waiting for you and if you’re capable of playing a decent level of tennis, you’ll show that. There’s no need to go through the media (and) use my name to get relevant again. Let’s just see your results, stop living in the past and let’s play each other on the main tour."
However, Kyrgios did not completely rule out a boxing match in the future.
"Maybe one day my brother we can later on when my career winds down," added the former World No.13. “But I’m too occupied at the moment bro, preparing for tournaments like Wimbledon and stuff. I hope everything is well, let’s put this to bed. I’ll verse you when I verse you if you can get back to the top and to the main tour.
“But as for now, I think you’ve got some bigger life challenges ahead brother, so best of luck."
Growing up in a household where soccer was king, my earliest memories are filled with chants from packed stadiums and the rhythm of a ball being passed across neighborhood streets. But somewhere along the way, the quiet elegance and raw emotion of tennis pulled me in. What began as a curiosity became a lifelong passion; not just for the sport itself, but for the stories it tells: of grit, of heartbreak, of improbable comebacks and human resilience.
As a tennis writer, I bring the observational lens of someone who didn’t grow up in the sport, but fell in love with it as an outsider; a perspective that lets me see both its technical beauty and its emotional depth. Over the years working with TennisUpToDate, I’ve had the privilege of reaching more than 3.5 million readers worldwide, with one of my features ranking among the site’s top three articles.
With a background in storytelling and a creative mind always searching for meaning beyond the scoreboard, I aim to craft narratives that go deeper than results and rankings. Whether it’s a rising star breaking through or a veteran fighting off Father Time, I try to capture the heartbeat behind the headlines.
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