‘You Absolute Pelican!’- When Nick Kyrgios Got Into a War of Words With Karen Khachanov on Twitter

Australian tennis player Nick Kyrgios is currently having a fantastic tournament at the US Open, as he reached the quarter-final. In the quarters, he will face the big hitting Russian player, Karen Khachanov. Interestingly, these two have a history, which was certainly not pleasant.

Back in 2020, Kyrgios had a war of words with Khachanov, as the Russian player mocked him for criticizing other tennis players on social media. It is worth noting that the Aussie player has a history of expressing his honest views on social media, as he’s not afraid to have a banter with fans or fellow tennis players.

Nick Kyrgios and Karen Khachanov got involved in a Twitter war of words

Back in September 2020, Kyrgios took a dig at former Swedish tennis player Mats Wilander for his comments on Andy Murray. After that, Kachanov tweeted, “I really think you are a good lad and don’t have any problem with you. But once you are sitting at home and writing different comments about players that makes me think who has the real problem.”

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Safe to say, the Aussie player did not take this insult lightly, as he said, “So you think what the players did during this pandemic was smart? I’d love to have an intellectual conversation with you but I’m not sure it would go further than how hard you could hit a ball. I’ve simply been holding people accountable.”

Replying to this, Kachanov said, “And next time before talking about my intellect read at least a few books, instead or playing video games whole day long.”

In the end, Kyrgios provided some facts to Khachanov about his work outside of tennis. The Aussie said, “I’ve also been feeding the hungry, helping open up new facilities for kids to get active. But way to do your research you absolute pelican.”

Notably, Kyrgios often got himself involved in a Twitter battle with fans and fellow tennis players. He once took a dig at Andy Roddick, former American tennis player, for making a funny racket breaking tutorial video. Apart from that, he doesn’t mind taking on a few fans as well, who criticized his behavior on the tennis court.

Can Kyrgios reach his second straight Grand Slam semi-final at US Open 2022?

Before Kyrgios faces Khachanov at the quarter-final of the US Open, he faced the Russian at the Australian Open in 2020. Their round of 32 match lasted almost 4 hours and 26 minutes, which was one of the best matches of that tournament. Eventually, the Aussie player beat Khachanov 6-2 7-6 6-7 6-7 7-6.

Before that, the Russian player won their first meeting at the Cincinnati Masters; this match also went the distance. Currently, both players showed excellent form throughout the US Open. In the fourth round, Kyrgios shocked the world by besting the world no.1 Daniil Medvedev.

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As for Khachanov, he beat the no.12 seed Spaniard Pablo Carreno Busta. Although many fans picked Kyrgios as the favorite going into this match, the Russian might surprise everyone with his power. On the other hand, the Aussie has a golden opportunity to reach the final; if he wins the match, he will face Casper Ruud in the semis.