Novak Djokovic’s Coach Ivanisevic Hits Out At Nick Kyrgios - UBITENNIS

Novak Djokovic’s Coach Ivanisevic Hits Out At Nick Kyrgios

The mentor of the world No.1 is puzzled by the conflict between the two players.

By Adam Addicott
3 Min Read
Nick Kyrgios vs Steve Johnson, USO first round

Former grand slam champion Goran Ivanisevic has called on Nick Kyrgios to be more respectful towards world No.1 Novak Djokovic following comments he has made in the past.

Kyrgios has been a vocal critic of the 16-time grand slam champion in recent time. During an interview with the No Challenges Remaining (NCR) podcast, he described his opponent’s post-match celebration as ‘cringeworthy.’ Something that is known as a ‘great big cup of love’ when Djokovic makes gestured towards the crowd. The celebration isn’t the only thing that has drawn criticism from Kyrgios, who leads the Serbian 2-0 in their head-to-head.

“I just feel like he has a sick obsession with wanting to be liked. He just wants to be like Roger,” Kyrgios said in May.
“For me personally – I don’t care right now, I’ve come this far – I feel like he just wants to be liked so much that I just can’t stand him.”

Speaking out about the world No.27, Ivanisevic has said he is puzzled about the reasons for the criticisms. Accusing Kyrgios of ‘picking’ on Djokovic for no reason. During the US Open, he taunted him about an incident involving a fan.

“It’s bad because I don’t think Novak did anything wrong to him,” Ivanisevic told the Telegraph.
“He decides to pick on Novak for no reason. You can come on the court and do whatever you want, but you need to respect your opponent.
“He speaks a lot about Novak, only he knows the reason.”

Despite the criticism, Ivanisevic believes the Australian could potentially win a major if he changes his approach to the tour. Kyrgios is renowned for his controversial antics and was placed under investigation by the ATP earlier this year. At the Cincinnati Masters he was fined $113,000 for a series of rule violations during one match. He then bemused the governing body of men’s tennis after branding them as ‘corrupt’ before later clarifying his comments.

“He should just take care of himself because he should be in the top five, he could win a grand slam.” Ivanisevic stated.
“He’s never going to win a grand slam with the approach he has now.
“If he could change it that would be great for him and for tennis.”

Kyrgios will return to action on Wednesday when he plays Italy’s Andreas Seppi at the Zhuhai Championships in China. Meanwhile, Djokovic is yet to decide on his participating in next week’s Japan Open as he continues his recovery from a shoulder problem.

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