"29-year-old child": Footy great slams Nick Kyrgios
AFL Premiership winner Kane Cornes has slammed Nick Kyrgios after the tennis superstar has been making headlines for his Australian Open exit.
There have been plenty of stories about the tennis player's fitness and his future in the sport, and Cornes, who is now one of the most outspoken members of the sporting media has had enough of the Kyrgios drama.
“I just feel we talk about this guy too much,” Cornes began on SEN 1116 radio.
“I understand why, but he’s absolutely dominated the headlines in the last two-to-three weeks in the lead-up to the Australian Open.
“That’s not unusual, that happens, and we’re not going to hear the last of him.
“I feel like his role in the game will be significant whether he’s playing or not because he is box office.
“And despite him being our most disappointing Australian athlete ever, he will still have a role to play because people are interested in him.”
“This is a guy who sits there and criticises everyone else,” Cornes continued.
“He sits on his high horse and criticises everyone, be that ball kids, line judges, other opponents.
“Look at the class which Roger Federer or other players with a similar level of talent as Nick carried themselves.
“He’s a child. He’s a 29-year-old child. The way that he carries himself, the ambassador that he’s been, put all that in the mix, I think no one has disappointed more.
“No one has been spoken about more with less results than this guy over a long period of time.
“Yet still, here we are, and I get it and it’s a credit to him that people are interested in him, that we’re still talking about him.”
Kyrgios has hit back at the comments on X, saying that Cornes' criticism was unfounded.
"Gotta love comments from an athlete who didn't play a global sport," he posted.
Social media users were quick to share their own opinions on disappointing athletes in response to Cornes' comments, with one person writing: “He’s not even the most disappointing tennis player. Tomic has him well covered.”
Another sports fan said: “Cmon guys... Nick is Nick but that Raygun could not even be defined as an athlete so she leads the list of ‘international disgraces’ and its daylight to second, whoever that may be.”
However others backed Kyrgios, with one writing: “Nick has played in an era where there are 3 absolute legends of the game who have dominated and he’s beaten all 3 something no one else has managed to do!! Wake up you clowns comparing Nick to Raygun, Ben Simmons, Tomic, Jarryd Hayne etc absolute disgrace you guys are!”
Image: Channel 7/ Rachel Bach/Shutterstock Editorial