Never short on honesty and speaking his mind, Nick Kyrgios has opened fire on tennis rivals Rafael Nadal and Novak Djokovic, among others, in a revealing interview.
"Super salty" Nadal and "cringeworthy" Djokovic - two of the most dominant players in history - have each encountered the Australian's fireworks on the court, and have now been given a verbal serve.
Kyrgios, who turned 24 last month, broke through in Acapulco earlier this year to win the Mexican Open, and has since risen to a ranking of 36 following an injury-affected 2018 season.
Earlier this week, the Canberran opened his Italian Open account with an impressive win over Daniil Medvedev, setting up a clash with Norwegian qualifier Casper Ruud.
IN THE FIRING LINE: The sledge that got a spectator kicked out of Kyrgios' Miami match
While in Rome, Kyrgios caught up with tennis writer Ben Rothenberg on the No Challenges Remaining podcast, and was typically unfiltered and open.
Kyrgios had a crack at the incumbent world No. 1, saying Djokovic "has a sick obsession with wanting to be liked" and conceded the Serb won't surpass Roger Federer's "greatest of all time" status even if he wins more major titles.
"[Djokovic] just wants to be like Roger... I feel like he just wants to be liked so much that I just can’t stand him," Kyrgios said.
"This whole celebration thing that he does after matches, it’s like so cringeworthy. It’s very cringeworthy.
"He’s an unbelievable player, he’s a champion of the sport, one of the greatest we’ll ever see... I reckon he will overpass Federer.
"We're talking about a guy who pulled out of the Australian Open one year because it was too hot. No matter how many grand slams he wins, he will never be the greatest for me.
"I've played him twice and like, I'm sorry, but if you can't beat me, you're not the greatest of all time... for me, Federer will always be the greatest of all time, hands down. Djokovic, again, just rubs me the wrong way. He always says what feels like he needs to say, never speaks his opinion."
Kyrgios said he and Stan Wawrinka get on despite the "Kokkinakis banged your girlfriend" sledge. The Aussie considered it "hilarious" but acknowledged he'd never do it again.
He also criticised Spanish veteran Fernando Verdsaco, saying he 'drives him nuts'.
"That guy... I don't even want to talk about it. It gets me so vexed, I'm like angry now that I just hear that name. He's the most arrogant person ever," Kyrgios said of Verdasco.
"He doesn't say hello, he thinks he's so good, he thinks he's God's gift. Dude, your backhand's pretty average and let's be honest, you hit a ball over a net.
"Guys like that drive me insane. There's no humility there, there's no perspective, it's just like, 'I'm here, I'm so cool, I'm unbelievable because I hit a ball over the net. Do this for me, do this for me, I won't say hello to you, I'm too important'."
However, the take on "polar opposite" Nadal - his Acapulco nemesis - provided insight into the tensions of that night in Mexico, and their earlier clashes.
After Kyrgios downed the 17-time major winner in Acapulco, Nadal blasted the Australian, saying he "lacks respect".
Kyrgios has outstanding head-to-head records against Djokovic (2-0), Federer (3-1) and Nadal (3-3), and suggested the latter can't take the heat when he loses. Nadal's uncle and long-time coach, Toni, also copped a serve.
To brighten this rainy day, my long-awaited interview with @NickKyrgios is now up on @NCR_Tennis. Enjoy. https://t.co/bMbgdn4SQo
— Ben Rothenberg (@BenRothenberg) May 15, 2019
"When [Nadal] wins, it’s fine. He won’t say anything bad, he’ll credit the opponent, 'He was a great player'. But as soon as I beat him, it’s just like, 'He has no respect for me, my fans and no respect to the game'," Kyrgios said.
"I'm like, ‘What are you talking about? I literally played this way when I beat you the other previous times and nothing changed... when you beat me in Rome here a couple of years ago, nothing changed, I was the same person'.
"It's not a good look for you... and then uncle Toni came out saying, 'He lacks education'. I’m like, 'Bra, I did 12 years at school, you idiot. I’m very educated. I understand that you’re upset I beat your family again'.
"I'm not going to be the same as Nadal. We do things so differently. Why can’t we just accept that? You know what you’re walking into when we walk out there. Don’t wait until you lose a match to say things.
"When I say something after I play him, it’s not going to get noticed as much. But when he says something, it’s like that’s the only thing that matters. They’re like, 'Oh yeah, he must be right. This guy must lack education, he must lack respect'.
"And you’re asking me why I do things and why I go back at fans in the crowd. And that’s why. These guys show me no respect. None. So why would I show you respect? For instance, when I’m taking matches, I don’t care that you paid for tickets. You guys treat me like crap anyway. Rafa gets me vexed, as well."
