‘He’s a tool’: Kyrgios slams Djokovic for quarantine complaints

Australia’s resident ‘bad-boy’ tennis star Nick Kyrgios has branded World No.1 Novak Djokovic a “tool” for his recent complaints over the hard lockdown certain players in Melbourne are currently experiencing.

The tennis star also said that fellow Aussie player Bernard Tomic’s girlfriend, Vanessa Sierra, had “no perspective” following a video she shared on her social media complaining about the quarantine conditions.

Kyrgios, 25, took to Twitter on Monday to share his thoughts on the situation, writing, “Djokovic is a tool. I don’t mind Bernie but his Mrs obviously has no perspective, ridiculous scenes.”

Djokovic is a tool. I don’t mind Bernie but his Mrs obviously has no perspective, ridiculous scenes 🤦🏽‍♂️ https://t.co/MMgeriH2GJ

— Nicholas Kyrgios (@NickKyrgios) January 18, 2021

The tweet was relating to the latest drama in the lead up to the Australian Open, in which at least 72 players who were on board planes that unknowingly carried nine confirmed cases of Covid-19 have been forced to self-isolate for 14 days without access to their coaches or the ability to properly train.

Serbian star and former president of the ATP Players Council, Djokovic, took a stand on behalf of these players by writing a list of six demands that was sent to Tennis Australia. The demands, which included moving the players out of hotels into private houses with tennis courts, was met with a firm “no” from Victorian Premier and quarantine boss Daniel Andrews.

Kyrgios’ tweet also mentioned Bernard Tomic’s partner Vanessa Sierra, who shared a video on her social media platforms of the hotel room they’d been residing in, saying they’d been stuck playing video games for up to 11 hours a day.

Sierra complained about the food in the hotel, saying they were resorting to ordering their own but that it would take another “40 minutes” after delivery to arrive at their door. She also complained that there was “literally no fresh air” and no balcony in the room.

“This is the worst part of quarantine: I don’t wash my own hair,” Sierra said. “I’ve never washed my own hair. It’s just not something that I do. I normally have hairdressers do it twice a week for me; so this is the situation that we’re dealing with.”

Tennis fans in the comments below Kyrgios’ tweet were divided, with some agreeing with his reaction while others sided with the quarantined players.

One commenter in favour of Kyrgios wrote, “They knew they were coming here. Why not everyone self-isolate at home for two weeks, get tested then come here? And I mean EVERYONE. Then there wouldn’t be an issue at all & they could all do their prep & whatever else.”

While another said, “Daniel Andrew is absolutely spot on! Nothing is more important then the health and safety of everyone involved. Not even Djokovic’s ego. Having such an unusual build up to the competition puts everyone in the same position and makes for an interesting event!”

However, others weren’t as sold, with one writing, “Since they are coming here and raising much-needed money for our economy, surely some better conditions are warranted.”

With another saying, “What Nole [sic] is asking is not that crazy anyway. It would be great – instead of a hotel room … to stay in a house with enough space to train and a court”.