Watch: Nick Kyrgios takes a dig at Casper Ruud after beating him at Indian Wells Masters
Nick Kyrgios had a few choice words for Casper Ruud after beating the Norwegian in the third round of the Indian Wells Masters on Monday.
During their first meeting at the Rome Masters in 2019, Ruud was awarded the match after Kyrgios was defaulted for unsportsmanlike behavior. The Aussie threw a chair on the court after receiving a game penalty. Following Kyrgios' default, Ruud celebrated enthusiastically, which did not go down well with the Australian.
At Indian Wells, however, Kyrgios had the last laugh, defeating Ruud 6-4, 6-4. The Aussie wildcard produced a fine display to knock out another seeded player, having beaten 32nd seed Federico Delbonis in the previous round.
After the match, Kyrgios took a dig at the Norwegian.
"I hear no talking now. None. F***ing none," Kyrgios said.
"I hear no talking now. None. Fucking none." - @NickKyrgios after beating Casper Ruud, who has chirped him in the past about his play on clay courts https://t.co/GcVC7THt3g
Kyrgios and Ruud have had a contentious relationship over the past few years. The World No. 8 called the hot-headed Aussie "an idiot" a few months after their encounter in Rome.
"He can say as much as he wants about me getting disqualified but it still says 1-0 to me," Ruud told Tennisportalen. "I don’t know, he was totally crazy when I played him. It was nice to win. If I celebrated after the match or not? I don’t care. I was happy I got 90 points and $50,000 in prize money so why wouldn’t I celebrate? It’s his problem that he’s an idiot on court."
Kyrgios responded to the Norwegian's statements by calling his style of play boring and that he would "rather watch paint dry."
"Hey Casper Ruud, next time you have something to say, I would appreciate you say it to my face, I’m sure you wouldn’t run your mouth so much after that," Kyrgios said. "Until then I will continue to rather watch paint dry then watch you play tennis, boring af."
"But again, I also understand why you have to keep my name in your mouth, because people dont even realise that you play tennis, goodluck in Milan champ."
Hey @CasperRuud98 next time you have something to say, I would appreciate you say it to my face, I’m sure you wouldn’t run your mouth so much after that. Until then I will continue to rather watch paint dry then watch you play tennis, boring af.
Nick Kyrgios faces Jannik Sinner in the fourth round at Indian Wells
Nick Kyrgios will face 10th seed Jannik Sinner in the fourth round of the Indian Wells Masters. The young Italian came through a hard-fought contest against Benjamin Bonzi on Monday.
The winner of that encounter will face either Rafael Nadal or Reilly Opelka in the quarterfinals.
Also Check Out: Indian Wells Masters 2022 Schedule