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Controversial AFL commentator Kane Cornes appears to have met his match, with his blasting of Nick Kyrgios’ first-round exit at the Australian Open seeing the tennis star return fire on Twitter.
Kyrgios has been slammed across all of social media for his much-publicised return to the grand slam tour and his subsequent first-round performance against Jacob Fearnley – despite the fact the star is still taking part in the men’s doubles kicking off tonight, many fans and commentators have even claimed this is the end of his career.
One commentator who has thrown his hat in the ring is Cornes, who blasted the tennis star on his show on SEN 1116 radio.
“I just feel we talk about this guy too much,” Cornes said.
“I understand why, but he’s absolutely dominated the headlines in the last two-to-three weeks in the lead-up to the Australian Open.
“That’s not unusual, that happens, and we’re not going to hear the last of him.
“I feel like his role in the game will be significant whether he’s playing or not because he is box office.
“And despite him being our most disappointing Australian athlete ever, he will still have a role to play because people are interested in him.”
Cornes’ claims of Kyrgios being ‘Australia’s disappointing athlete’ seemed to strike a chord with fans online, with many taking to Twitter to claim that the likes of fellow tennis star Bernard Tomic, NBA Ben Simmons and breakdancer and Paris Olympian Rachael “Raygun” Gunn were also in the conversation.
In response, however, the AFL commentator doubled down.
“This is a guy who sits there and criticises everyone else,” he said.
“He sits on his high horse and criticises everyone, be that ball kids, line judges, other opponents.
“Look at the class in which Roger Federer or other players with a similar level of talent as Nick carried themselves.
“He’s a child. He’s a 29-year-old child. The way that he carries himself, and the ambassador that he’s been, put all that in the mix, I think no one has disappointed more.
“No one has been spoken about more with less results than this guy over a long period of time.
“Yet still, here we are, and I get it and it’s a credit to him that people are interested in him, that we’re still talking about him.”
(Photo by Kelly Defina/Getty Images)
In response, Kygrios has fired back, accusing Cornes of not being in a position to criticise.
“gotta love comments from an athlete who didn’t play a global sport ???? appreciate the kind works brother x” he posted on X.
When Cornes appeared to pour water on the feud, Kyrgios fired an additional shot, claiming that “I didn’t even know who you were to be fair.”
Given both individuals are not one to hide from public discourse, should Kyrgios fall in the first round of the doubles as well, tensions could flare up again.
Kyrgios is set to kick off his men’s doubles campaign tonight with fellow Aussie Thanasi Kokkinakis, as they take on fellow Australian pair Aleksander Vukic and James Duckworth.
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