John McEnroe was awful but he won, this guy does not win: Simon Jordan slams Nick Kyrgios after tantrum over losing Newcombe medal to Ashleigh Barty
English businessman and Talksport host Simon Jordan slammed Nick Kyrgios and called him a silly brat.
The Aussie is among the finest talents tennis has produced in recent years but has not been able to live up to his potential. He has also been in the limelight for his outspokenness and behavior on and off the court.
His most recent outburst came when Ashleigh Barty was awarded the Newcombe Medal, which is awarded to the best Australian tennis player of the year. Kyrgios shared a picture comparing Barty's achievements with his and claimed that he wasn't given any respect.
"Lol! No respect at all. I don't give a f*ck," Kyrgios wrote on his Instagram stories.
Speaking on White and Jordan, the show he hosts on talkSPORT, Simon Jordan said that Kyrgios gets disrespected because he does not win much despite possessing a lot of talent.
“Nick Kyrgios is a remarkable mercurial talent, but doesn’t actually win very much. He’s been to a Grand Slam quarter-final and a final, he’s 27, he hasn’t won a Slam, and there have been great Australian players in the past, Pat Cash, Pat Rafter, Lleyton Hewitt, who actually won things. So while he has got this remarkable talent, I think they [Australia Tennis and media] disrespect him because he respects himself with the waste of his talent at times," Jordan said.
Jordan also slammed Kyrgios' behavior and likened it to that of John McEnroe, claiming that the American won a lot despite his outbursts.
"And then you add in the puerility of some of his behavior. John McEnroe was awful with some of his on-court behaviour but he won, so people began to give him this begrudging respect because his achievements superseded his outbursts. But this guy [Kyrgios] doesn’t win," the 55-year-old said.
Jordan added that while some of Kyrgios' antics were justified, he was a silly brat who did not act like an adult.
"Some of what he does is fair play, like calling out people in the crowd for being drunk and what have you but sometimes, I think he is a silly little brat who doesn’t act like an adult, he acts like a child. I do think he is an exceptional talent and that makes his inability to do anything particularly formidable on a tennis court actually quite disappointing," he said.
"I feel like this is the first year I've earned respect"- Nick Kyrgios
Nick Kyrgios recently told the Australian Associated Press that he hasn't received enough respect despite being one of the best players in the world.
"Look, I’ve always been one of the best players in the world. I’ve always held up my fair share of the bargain towards Australia. I feel like this is the first year I’ve earned respect when it should have been given when I first came on tour. I’ve represented them, put them on the map and having produced one of the most successful male years in the last decade for Australia and am only just getting embraced (now). I don’t think that’s my fault," the 27-year-old said.