Nick Kyrgios does not "understand what it means to be Australian Olympian", says the nation's Olympic chef de mission Kitty Chiller.
MORE: Video - Ian Thorpe's Zoolander inspired ad l Video - Adam Scott's disastrous last hole at the Players
Chiller warned Kyrgios and fellow controversial Australian Bernard Tomic to behave or forget about representing their country at the Rio Olympics later this year, after being annoyed by the latter's antics at the Madrid Open when he held the head of his racquet instead of the handle on match point in his loss to Fabio Fognini.
Tomic has subsequently pulled out of the Games anyway citing a busy schedule on the ATP World Tour as the reason for doing so.
Kyrgios was left riled by Chiller's criticism and hit out at a news conference on Monday, saying: "I mean, if you don't want to pick me or Bernard, you know, there are plenty of others you can pick to represent your country as well
"If you don't want two of the best players in Australia to represent your country, so be it."
The comments have not sat well with Chiller, who says she has had no formal contact with Kyrgios.
"We have had nothing official except for some ill-advised, shall I say, comments about me and what it means to be an Olympian," she said.
"I think some of Nick's comments in social media have shown that maybe he doesn't understand what it means to be an Australian Olympian.
"It is not just about winning on the court, it's about how you go about it."
While the row rumbles on, Tennis Australia president Steve Healy released a statement defending Kyrgios claiming that he has shown marked improvement since being punished for lewd comments towards Stan Wawrinka last year.
"Since the disciplinary action taken against Nick last year he's made a concerted effort to improve his performance and behaviour, and full credit to him," Healy said.
"It's unfortunate that he's been included unfairly in recent discussions on player behaviour that have not involved him.
"His performances this year have been markedly improved and it's obvious he's showing more maturity. Only world number one Novak Djokovic has beaten more top-10 players than Nick this year.
"Nick deserves the opportunity to concentrate on his tennis without any additional distractions."