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Wimbledon Feud: Kyrgios picks a fight with Bartoli
2 Comments · Posted by Scoop Malinowski in Scoop
By Scoop Malinowski
Tennis pros have refrained from getting involved in public spats with other players in recent years but an unlikely feud has erupted between two unlikely combatants: Nick Kyrgios and Marion Bartoli.
Here is what Kyrgios posted on Instagram today:
Yesterday @bartolimarion had to say some nice things about @iamgaelmonfils and myself.. They’re ‘Pathetic’ ‘Children’ They ‘Can’t become men’ ‘wasting their life’ – Who are you to judge the way we go about things? Who are you to tell us how to do things, when u have no idea what we’ve been through?…. stop assuming you know what’s best for others when you think you’ve had a little success.. we get it, we know you have to remain relevant, but I’ll give you a heads up, we don’t care what you have to say.
It’s doubtful that Bartoli expected such a heated response by Kyrgios or Monfils and it will be interesting to see if Bartoli decides to resume this verbal war of words with two of the sport’s most exciting performers.
One also has to wonder if Bartoli’s tough love could provide the much-needed slap in the face spark of extra incentive to Kyrgios and Monfils, who both have disappointed with their mediocre results in majors in recent years but both look like serious second week threats right now. Monfils manhandled last year’s semifinalist Sam Querrey today in four sets to reach the round of 16 and Kyrgios is through to the third round where he will meet Kei Nishikori.
All it takes in tennis is that fraction of extra confidence, that fraction of extra motivation, that extra fraction of firepower and arrogance under pressure to alter the course of a tennis career.
Remember newspaper reporter Lloyd Carroll’s calling Mardy Fish a journeyman at the US Open press conference many years ago after losing a five setter to Tommy Robredo and it resulted in Fish’s newfound motivation which vaulted Fish into becoming an elite ATP top ten player.
Fish later credited Carroll’s unintentionally disrespectful comment as being a motivating factor in changing his career.
Is it possible, Bartoli’s comments could change the careers of Kyrgios and Monfils? Let’s wait and see…
Marion Bartoli · Nick Kyrgios · Wimbledon
Doug Day · July 7, 2018 at 2:21 pm
Tough love. What a concept. Bartoli knows a good deal about talent and mental toughness and how one limits the other. Evert says the game comes so easy to Nick he’s a stranger to suffering. No suffer, no silverware.
Janine · July 7, 2018 at 2:49 pm
Keep up the good work Marion! You continue telling the truth, if they don’t like too bad. And yes, they do care or else they wouldn’t have responded so quickly, so angrily and so publicly. Bartoli is a champion who was all business and she didn’t waste her career. Kyrgios and Monfils do need to grow up instead of looking for headlines. The two court jesters of tennis. Bartoli was kind and matter of fact. The hard truth is much worse than what she said.