Nick Kyrgios and the spotlight? A match made in heaven. The Aussie star knows how to keep the buzz alive, both on and off the court. Sure, his Australian Open run might have been cut short in the first round, but that doesn’t mean Kyrgios is sitting quietly on the sidelines. This time, Kyrgios is showing us what friendship goals look like by leaping to Novak Djokovic’s defense. The Serbian legend found himself in the middle of some harsh trolling by Australian broadcaster Tony Jones, and let’s just say the tennis community wasn’t impressed. Leading the charge against the remarks? You guessed it—Kyrgios.

The entire controversy began on Friday, January 17, when Jones was reading the sports bulletin for Nine News and covered fans’ enthusiasm for Djokovic. In the video which is now making rounds on social media, a flood of Serbian Maestro’s fans were seen cheering with Serbian flags in their hands. But what caught the attention was the gesture that followed from Jones. Looking at the crowd, he jeered at them and said, “Novak is overrated, Novak’s a has-been. Novak, kick him out.” However, he knew that this statement would not go well with the fans and immediately expressed his satisfaction over them not being able to hear him.

“Boy, I’m glad they can’t hear me,” he added. However, as soon as the video gained traction, several tennis enthusiasts flocked up to criticize Jones and the latest to express his anger is Kyrgios. Taking to his Instagram story, Kyrgios shared the video and wrote, “Coming from this clown – couldn’t run around a park this bloke.” Notably, the Aussie and Nole have shared great camaraderie in the past and this is not the first time when Kyrgios has come out in Djokovic’s defense. 

In July last year, a user took sharp digs at Novak Djokovic and questioned, “Is there a single non-Serbian tennis fan who even likes this guy? His on-court behaviour is absolutely appalling and I could never understand how someone could possibly support this piece of trash.” Kyrgios soon came to Nole’s defense and wrote simply, “I do.” Similarly, when Nole faced turmoil over his vaccination status and his visa being canceled during the 2022 Australian Open, Nick Kyrgios outspokenly supported him. And in fact, his support was also acknowledged by Djokovic. 

“He was one of the very few that stood by me last year, and I respect that and appreciate that. In those moments you can actually see who truly supports you and who is by your side and who goes with” Novak Djokovic said in 2023. And it is for this camaraderie that the duo even partnered in the doubles category for the Brisbane International this year. But returning to Tony Jones, this is not the first time when a tennis entity has taken a jibe at him over his remarks.

Besides Nick Kyrgios, Tony Jones faced heat from Danielle Collins for an unexpected take

 The Australian Open is witnessing multifold drama. One such scenario erupted after Danielle Collins registered a remarkable victory against Destanee Aiava in the second round and engaged in banter with the crowd. When booed after the match, the American star did not hold back and in a cheeky jibe, she said, “I was thinking during the match, I’m out of here, I might as well just take that big, fat paycheck. So thank you, guys, thanks for coming out here and supporting us tonight!”

Reacting to this, Jones shared his views on the WTA star. “My view is she’s a brat,” he told 3AW Drive on Friday. “When you get people like Danielle Collins who lives this (lavish) lifestyle and then rub our noses in it… I thought it overstepped the mark.” However, this did not sit well with Collins, and true to her nature, she ensured to clap back.

Taking to her Instagram story, the star player shared the screenshot of an article about Jones’ statement and wrote, “I love when these old dudes like Tony know the vibe.” Now, with the Australian Open still in the fourth round, it will be fascinating to see if Tony Jones sparks off more drama. Will Kyrgios’ latest criticism prompt him to apologize for his gesture? That remains to be seen.