Nick Kyrgios has been called out by top tennis coach Mark Petchey (Image: Getty)
has been told to “give it a rest” after making controversial comments about some of his rivals.
The Australian has been vocal on his thoughts about ’s doping saga, even
Top tennis coach and pundit Mark Petchey has now urged Kyrgios to stop, also calling out the 2022 finalist over claims that other players were boring.
Kyrgios has been sidelined by injury for the last two years but that hasn’t stopped him from staying involved in tennis. As well as taking up a gig as a commentator for the likes of the and ESPN, the 29-year-old also remains active on social media, sharing his opinions on the sport.
The former No. 13 had a lot to say when it emerged clostebol twice earlier this year. The Italian was found to have “bore no fault or negligence”, successfully proving he was contaminated.
the International Tennis Integrity Agency’s finding. But the no-fault ruling hasn’t stopped Kyrgios from condemning the world No. 1.
“You should be gone for two years,” Kyrgios tweeted when the news broke in August. He has also claimed players are giving “excuses” for failed doping tests.
Nick Kyrgios has been working as a pundit during his injury layoff (Image: Getty)
Just in
Our community members are treated to special offers, promotions, and adverts from us and our partners. You can check out at any time. Read our
Petchey – who previously coached the likes of and – has now called Kyrgios out for his comments. “Yes, Nick Kyrgios needs to give it a rest,” he told .
“Sinner has been found not guilty, right? And we’re about to get the WADA appeal. Let’s just wait for that. You have to let the process go through due care and attention. This is a massive thing. It is somebody’s career.”
It’s not the only thing that has bothered Petchey. The 54-year-old also wasn’t happy to hear Kyrgios brand some of his colleagues boring. He added: “I don’t agree with what he said about the personalities of the current crop of players.
“I think Alcaraz is arguably one of the greatest tennis players already. Are you going to say that one of the greatest tennis players that lights up a tennis court in a way that very few tennis players have had over the years is suddenly dull?
“I’ll always go back to the Fire and Ice era of Borg and McEnroe. If Bjorn had played Bjorn nobody would be talking about that era in terms of how exciting it was.
“It was Mac who brought the passion, Jimmy Connors the bad boy. Borg the ice. You need great rivalries and different personalities. It is Fire and Ice 2.0 for me with Jannik and Carlos.
“We might not have the trash talk of the 80s but tennis actually is an unbelievably healthy space. You want to see people who are trying to win big competitions that are being ultra professional in doing that. Otherwise, what are we celebrating? People that are mediocre.”
But the British coach is still a Kyrgios fan. “Nick is awesome for the game. When he is involved the crowds love him, the younger generations go with him,” he said.
“There is nobody who brings the eyeballs to tennis that Nick does at times. Nick being fit and healthy and putting his style of tennis on the court is great for tennis.”