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Bitter rivalry takes another twist

Bernard Tomic has poured petrol on his heated feud with Nick Kyrgios by labelling his former team-mate ‘‘delusional’’ and challenging him to either a million-dollar winner-takes-all tennis match or a boxing fight.

The relationship of two of Australia’s highest profile tennis stars has soured following a flurry of verbal barbs on social media.

This week Kyrgios labelled Tomic Australia’s ‘‘most hated athlete’’ and scoffed at Tomic’s suggestions he would come off second-best on the court.

Tomic told the Sydney Morning Herald yesterday he was willing to put A$1 million (NZ$1.1 million) on the line if Kyrgios had the courage to back up his claims of superiority.

‘‘At the end of the day, talk is cheap,’’ Tomic said.

‘‘I’m ready to make it 2-0 whenever you want. Put your money where your mouth is.

‘‘Let the public decide who is better. I’ll beat you anywhere, any place. If not, shut your mouth and go back to playing doubles.’’

Tomic and Kyrgios have only played each other once before, in an Australian Open exhibition match at the Kooyong Classic in 2019.

Although Kyrgios (51st) was ranked higher than Tomic (85th) at the time, the latter prevailed 6-3 6-4.

Tomic aced Kyrgios on match point with an underarm serve between his legs.

Since then, Tomic has plummeted down the world rankings but has challenged Kyrgios to a battle across a number of different sports.

‘‘You know what? Let’s sort this out in the boxing ring.

‘‘Put your gloves on, I’ll dominate you there also. Let’s see who’s better once and for all.’’

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2022-05-28T07:00:00.0000000Z

2022-05-28T07:00:00.0000000Z

https://fairfaxmedia.pressreader.com/article/282316798661611

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