Carlos Alcaraz has hit back at Nick Kyrgios after he backed world no 1 Jannik Sinner to lift the Wimbledon title this year over the Spaniard.
Alcaraz is currently searching for his third consecutive title at SW19, and finds himself in the fourth round against world no 14 Andrey Rublev on Sunday.
With the Spaniard’s excellent current form, having won a remarkable 21 consecutive games, including lifting Queen’s and the French Open, along with his near-perfect record in Wimbledon, it would be fair for Alcaraz to confidently back himself to be victorious yet again.
Kyrgios, however, does not agree, citing Alcaraz’s partying and the fact that he “likes girls” as a distraction from his title defence this year.
Carlos Alcaraz beat Jan-Lennard Struff 6-1, 3-6, 6-3, 6-4 to progress to the fourth round
Getty
Speaking to Ultimate Tennis Showdown, the Australian discussed his pick for the Wimbledon title this year: "I’ll say Sinner, because Alcaraz likes girls. He might get distracted, he might party too much.
“That’s my only thing, whereas Sinner will stay a bit locked in, I think."
His comments come after Alcaraz released a Netflix documentary series, "Carlos Alcaraz: My Way", where he explained that he can find tennis “overwhelming” at times, adding the need for balance in his life.
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Nick Kyrgios believes Jannik Sinner will win his first Wimbledon title this year GettyThe comments, which included his enjoyment of partying in relative moderation, drew significant criticism at the time, including from Toni Nadal, the father of Rafael Nadal.
"If it overwhelms him, then he should quit tennis," the 64-year-old declared, despite admitting he had not watched the documentary himself.
Alcaraz, though, was quick to point out the irony in Kyrgios’ comments, with the 30-year-old garnering a reputation for enjoying a party himself.
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"They’re funny comments, which, coming from him, doesn't surprise me," said Alcaraz in response to Kyrgios’ snub. "It’s no secret that Jannik has fewer ups and downs than me. It’s something I’ve been working on. It has nothing to do with the nightlife world."
Nicknamed ‘The Bad Boy of Tennis’, Kyrgios has faced a multitude of fines for his on-court actions throughout his career, and also recently admitted in a Louis Theroux interview that at one point, he could drink “20-30” alcoholic drinks per day.
Despite Kygrios’ ironic comments, he may have a point.
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Jannik Sinner was at his brilliant best yet again as he cruised to victory against Pedro Martinez on Saturday
GettySinner has looked spectacular in the tournament so far, cruising to the third round without dropping even a game on serve.
Alcaraz has made tougher work of his opponents, but has got through the challenges relatively unscathed.
Aleksandar Vukic, who is one of the three who have been smashed by Sinner at Wimbledon this year, and also lost to Alcaraz last year, insists that the pair are far ahead of any competition.
He said: “[They] are definitely at least two levels above everyone else. And it's pretty evident.
"Carlos gives you more free points - you can breathe a little bit. Jannik, it's just suffocating. He exposes opponents' weaknesses very easily."
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