Nick Kyrgios’ Pain Becomes a Joke as Serena Williams’ Ex-Coach Takes a Snarky Swipe at Him

First week of the Melbourne Slam and the home crowd isn’t typically happy with what followed. Controversial player Nick Kyrgios suffered a premature exit at the Australian Opennotably his first major after an 18-month injury hiatus from the sport. Following his unfortunate exit, his countrywoman and Serena Williams‘ ex-coach laid heavily on the Aussie star and took a swipe at his recent physical issues in Melbourne.

Kyrgios launched his AO singles campaign against Briton Jacob Fearnley after enduring a tough loss at the season-opening Brisbane International. The fast-rising British star took full advantage of Kyrgios’ recent injury concerns and cruised past him in a thriller straight-set showdown to register a 7-6 (7-3) 6-3 7-6 (7-2) win in the first overseas Grand Slam match of his career. It’s worth noting that Kyrgios twice called for the physio in the second set because of an abdominal injury.

“I was extremely nervous before the match. I didn’t get too much sleep,” Fearnley told John McEnroe in his on-court interview. “I knew it was going to be a rowdy match, and I thought I played good. I’m sorry for Nick. I could tell he was dealing with some stuff, but it was a great match, and I really enjoyed playing in front of [the crowd]…All things considered, I think it has to be the best match I’ve ever played.”

After a series of wrist and ankle injuries haunted Kyrgios and forced him to the sidelines since the 2022 US Openmany anticipated that he would gain full recovery and, likely, dig deep in his home Slam. However, days before his Melbourne showcase, the Aussie player sustained an abdominal tear, causing him to pull out of his exhibition match commitments scheduled alongside Serbian Novak Djokovic and putting his Slam appearance at risk.

Despite reaffirming to fans that he will take necessary precautions to avoid an injury setback at the ‘Happy Slam’, Kyrgios’s physical troubles took a toll on his biggest weapon – service. Regardless, those concerns impacted the full disclosure of his potential in Melbourne, and Aussie Rennae Stubbs felt it best to address his alleged physical issues.

The former World No. 1 took to her X and recorded a cheeky dig at the former Wimbledon finalist saying, “Looks like Nicks’ struggling with a stitch!??” and followed up on that comment writing, “Stitch is gone!” following his opening round exit from the Melbourne mega event.

To much surprise, this wasn’t Stubbs’s first rodeo. Notably, the Aussie coach blasted the 29-year-old for trolling Lleyton Hewitt‘s son after he was seen practising with Italian Jannik Sinner.

Nick Kyrgios received criticism from Rennae Stubbs following his beef with Jannik Sinner

Australian superstar Nick Kyrgios has been the loudest voice against Jannik Sinner after the Italian sensation’s positive dope test triggered fans and players to address the inconsistencies in the tour management. While he continued to take potshots at the World No. 1 for ironically disregarding sporting ethics, the Aussie took a jibe at Lleyton Hewitt’s son Cruz.

Seeing that the young talent practised with Sinner in Melbourne, Kyrgios posted a string of comments on the former’s social media post with the Italian saying, “Love ya Cruz but this is wild”. Despite defending his comments, claiming it was a “joke”Serena Williams’s former coach Rennae Stubbs hopped on her podcast and criticized the Aussie for ridiculing Cruz on Instagram.

She said, “To give the guy sh*t on social media and go after him. It’s not a joke. If you want to joke about it, then you call his dad or you call him, because I’m pretty sure you have either of their numbers, and you give him sh*t. You don’t give him sh*t on a public forum, that’s embarrassing to him. He just doesn’t know how to stop and learn to be an adult in these situations.”

Kyrgios will next take to the court for his doubles date with longtime friend Thanasi Kokkinakis on Wednesday, January 15.