"I started this s**t"- Bernard Tomic reignites feud with Nick Kyrgios, recalls underarm tweener against fellow Aussie at Kooyong in 2019
Bernard Tomic and Nick Kyrgios have been at loggerheads for some time and the former has reignited the feud after recently recalling an underarm tweener against his compatriot.
The underarm serve is a relatively rare shot in tennis that not many players attempt. The shot has been made famous by Kyrgios who plays it during many of his matches on tour. However, Tomic has claimed that he started the trend.
The 30-year-old shared a video of him playing an underarm tweener serve on match point when he faced Kyrgios in an exhibition match in Kooyong back in 2019. Tomic served a tweener and Kyrgios couldn't get to the ball in time, handing the former a 6-3, 6-4 win.
The 30-year-old shared the video on his Instagram stories, with his caption reading:
"I started this s**t"
Tomic and Kyrgios had quite a few exchanges on social media last year, with the latter ruling out the possibility of an exhibition match between the two as he did not want to make his compatriot relevant again.
Kyrgios also mocked the idea of Tomic being awarded a wildcard for the 2023 Australian Open.
Bernard Tomic and Nick Kyrgios are yet to lock horns on the ATP Tour
Nick Kyrgios and Bernard Tomic are yet to face each other on the ATP Tour. The two were set to lock horns in the opening round of the 2018 French Open but Kyrgios had to withdraw as he was recovering from a chronic elbow injury at the time.
The duo, however, have been doubles partners before and teamed up for the 2019 Madrid Masters. They lost 6-2, 6-4 to eighth seeds Henri Konteinen and John Peers in the first round.
Tomic was once ranked in the top 20 of the ATP rankings but has suffered a rapid decline in recent years. The 30-year-old was inactive for a while but has competed more frequently on the ITF circuit since 2022.
Tomic has so far competed in four tournaments during the 2023 season. His first event was the ITF M15 in Doha, where he reached the final before losing to Estonia's Kristjan Tamm. The Aussie then took part in an M25 tournament in the same city and reached the semifinals before withdrawing due to injury.
His next tournament was another M25 event, this time in Al Zahra, Kuwait. He reached the second round but retired during his match against Lebanon's Benjamin Hassan.
Tomic then entered the qualifying rounds of an ATP Challenger Tour competition in Monterrey. He went on to reach the quarterfinals of the tournament but was forced to withdraw due to injury.
His recent performances have seen the Aussie return to the top 400 of the ATP rankings (373rd).