MELBOURNE, Australia – Novak Djokovic’s flat verbal volley was a catnip for Nick Kyrgios, who happily exploded a comeback. “Bang,” he murmured under his breath, “You got it right.”
Kyrgios made his statement at an Australian Open press conference, not on the court, where he faced Djokovic for the last time in 2017. Over months and in various time zones, men got involved in what amounts to the longest rally of the season, a snark seesaw that captivated an audience attracted by the malicious vibe Real Housewives of Melbourne.
Kyrgios called Djokovic “a tool”. Djokovic said he has no respect for Kyrgios off the court. Kyrgios called Djokovic “a very strange cat”. A tired Djokovic sighed and said, “Great.”
The ball was back on Kyrgios’ court on Wednesday, but he was too exhausted after his electrifying five-set victory over Frenchman Ugo Humbert, 29th, to strike another blow at Djokovic, who is also in the third round of Friday -market.
In any other year, a war of words between the two would be as fascinating as a plastic knife fight. Djokovic is the eight-time champion and number one in the men’s world who next month will tie (and likely pass) Roger Federer’s record of 310 weeks at the top.
Kyrgios is ranked 47th, with six career ATP titles. He never made it past the quarterfinals at a Grand Slam event and is better known for his crises than any other milestone. Kyrgios’ victory over Humbert offered a three-hour tour of his irregular indoor terrain; the brilliant shots and the bellicose storms that left a crushed racket in their wake, two code violations and a lot of bad words.
“If you were inside my head, there were some dark thoughts there,” conceded Kyrgios.
Any other year, even at his Slam home, Kyrgios, a Canberra native, would be the tantrum thrower in the cereal aisle that all adults ignored. But this is the first Australian Open played since the coronavirus pandemic has suspended sports and closed schools, displaced workers and residents and closed state and international borders.
Kyrgios, 25, who lives in the Bahamas, was stranded at his family’s home in the Australian capital during the stoppage of the coronavirus five-month competition. His exposure to Australia’s rigorous one-for-all, all-for-one approach to the pandemic, which included social distance, masks and hand washing, but also testing, contact tracking, limited interstate travel, curfew and confinement, broadened his perspective beyond the me-by-me, me-by-me mantra of elite sport.
The tennis bad boy became his social media Bard, giving voice to the difficulties he saw around him. He helped where he could, either by raising money for the survivors of the forest fire or by buying and distributing food to those who were confined in his hometown.
On the other side of the world, the reigning tennis king also looked after his community. Djokovic, 33, was imprisoned in Serbia, one of the European countries slightly affected by the pandemic. Djokovic, a millionaire several times, acknowledged the financial difficulties faced by lower-level players, which he sought to improve by organizing and staging a two-week tour of the Balkans in four cities in June.
Serbia’s blockade had been lifted, but the lack of social distance during the events, which drew large crowds, and the photos that emerged of shirtless tennis stars dancing all night in clubs, offended players who were lonely and locked in their houses. When three coaches, two wives and four players, including Djokovic, tested positive for the coronavirus, leading to the cancellation of the event, the reaction was quick.
Leading the verbal attack was Kyrgios, who condemned the tour as a “stupid decision” and suggested that Djokovic, as the best player in the game, needed to be held responsible for his actions.
When the ATP season resumed in August, Kyrgios chose to leave because he did not want to travel. And so it was only last month, when Djokovic arrived in Australia and began a mandatory 14-day quarantine, that the Kyrgios bubble and the Djokovic bubble collided in front of Australian journalists who desperately needed a sparkling distraction.
Djokovic, who resigned as chairman of the ATP Players Council last summer to help start what he described as a complementary player organization, was in a text with dozens of players detailing their quarantine problems.
Gathering his complaints, Djokovic sent Craig Tiley, CEO of Tennis Australia, a list that reflected the requests, which included the reduction of the quarantine period and access to private residences with tennis courts, similar to what was available to players on account New York during the United States Open last year.
“I volunteered to help with my position, my status, my name, with my connection to Craig, this group of more than 100 players who were communicating daily what they were missing out on,” said Djokovic this week.
Djokovic’s missive, which he said was intended only for Tiley’s eyes, leaked, and Kyrgios called Djokovic out because he did not appreciate the sacrifices made by the Australian public that made the tournament possible.
An Australian reporter asked Djokovic for his reaction. He said that Kyrgios, who he described as “someone who is different”, is good for the sport.
“I have respect for him,” said Djokovic. “I really respect everyone else because everyone has the right and the freedom to choose how they want to express themselves.”
He added that he appreciates Kyrgios’ “big game”, but that off the court he doesn’t have much regard for him. As racing pigeons, members of the Australian media took a Twitter version of Djokovic’s message to Kyrgios.
“He says he has no respect for you,” said a reporter. “Would you like to say something?”
“He is a very strange cat, Novak is,” said Kyrgios. “A great tennis player, but unfortunately someone who is partying shirtless during a global pandemic, I don’t know if I can take a break from that man.”
At Djokovic’s next press conference, Kyrgios’ words were read to him, word for word. “Great,” Djokovic replied dismissively.
Did he have anything to add? “No,” he said.
The next shot can be taken on the court. They could meet in the semifinals, where their different playing styles reflect their personalities. Kyrgios is aggressive, impulsive and, as befits those who are easily distracted, armed with a game built for short points.
Djokovic has the zeal of a cartographer for precision and discipline. He accepts suffering as the path to enlightenment and is an obstinately serious defender, skilled in attacking from seemingly unsustainable positions.
In his verbal exchanges, Djokovic goes on the defensive while Kyrgios bounces each splinter backwards like a volley between his legs.
Djokovic cannot win by winning; his 17 Grand Slam singles titles are the third largest in men’s history, behind Rafael Nadal and Federer, who are 20, and yet he travels the world as the third wheel in the love affair between two men.
And Kyrgios cannot win to lose. In the second round, he said, he was able to avoid a match point to win the fourth set and then take the fifth because he imagined the headlines had lost, “almost scared”, he said, “to accept all that negativity in the.”
Are Djokovic and Kyrgios really that different?
Each spent part of Thursday at Melbourne Park rooting for fellow countrymen. Djokovic applauded Olga Danilovic, whose mentor she is. Kyrgios watched his double partner Thanasi Kokkinakis.
Djokovic could have spoken for both when he said he was never “the guy who wants to fit in the box”.
It is not difficult to imagine Kyrgios with his racket raised, applauding him.