Nick Kyrgios calls Australian Open doubles finalist Max Purcell a 'donut' in social media tirade
Over 36 hours on from being crowned men's doubles champion in Melbourne, Nick Kyrgios was still not done with the trash talk. On Sunday he called fellow Australian Open doubles finalist Max Purcell a "donut" for suggesting the crowd behaviour Kyrgios encouraged at the tournament was bad for the game.
In a tirade posted to his Instagram account on Monday, Kyrgios addressed Purcell's comments and attacked the media, denying claims he had disrespected world No.1 Ash Barty's historic Australian Open win.
Kyrgios and compatriot Thanasi Kokkinakis were the unlikely champions in the men's doubles, winning on a lively Rod Laver Arena on Saturday after Barty became Australia's first singles champion in 44 years.
The raucous crowd that supported the 'Special Ks', as Kyrgios and Kokkinakis have come to be known, were firmly behind them as they defeated their Australian opponents, Purcell and Matt Ebden.
Kyrgios said afterwards that he and Kokkinakis had "created probably the best atmosphere this tournament has ever seen", but Purcell did not see it that way, saying fans may "get turned off a little bit" by the partisan crowd.
"As for Max Purcell you donut," Kyrgios wrote in response. "Regarding your comments after the match you clearly have no idea about entertainment and sport. If you haven't noticed there is a reason why people actually come to my matches, it's because the level and my game are actually worth watching.
“Next time you lose another Slam final you should just put your head down and try to figure out how to play the big points better. No need to slate other Aussies in the media [because] people would rather watch paint dry than you S&V [serve and volley] game style.”
Purcell has since said his words were "twisted" by the media, and Kyrgios also denied reports that his comments slighted Barty, whose match drew a record peak television audience of 4.26 million in Australia.
"F*** you media. Honestly, I said nothing disrespectful to Ash Barty," Kyrgios wrote. "I said that the crowd this year was amazing and I feel as if [Kokkinakis] and I were a big part of that. Ash's father came to me and even said that. All I said was that when people watch me around the world the stadiums are full. I grew up with Ash and always knew her potential.”
