Nick Kyrgios praises but criticises Novak Djokovic for THIS tennis feat in 2020

Nick Kyrgios was once fined for a "lack of best efforts" at the Shanghai Masters but the mercurial Australian is showing no signs of giving up on his crusade to have Novak Djokovic held accountable for the ill-fated Adria Tour. The 25-year-old has been taking pot shots at Djokovic and other tennis players who have breached social distancing guidelines since the exhibition event organised by the Serbian resulted in four players contracting COVID-19.

He launched another barrage at the world number one on Wednesday in response to a tweet quoting Djokovic, who has won his last 20 matches, contemplating the possibility he might get through the calendar year without losing.

"Hell of a tennis player. May go unbeaten in 2020, can`t take that away from him," Kyrgios tweeted.  "Unfortunately when he was supposed to show some leadership and humility he went missing.

Majority would say he has taken an L regardless," he added, referring to the popular gaming term for "take the loss".

‘No Regrets’

Djokovic, who is preparing for the U.S. Open at the Western & Southern Open in New York, has complained of being subjected to a "witch hunt" over the Adria Tour and last week said he had no regrets over organising the event.

Speaking to the media, Djokovic said blaming one individual was not fair. “I do feel sorry for people that were infected. Do I feel guilty for anybody that was infected from that point onward in Serbia, Croatia and region? Of course not. How can you blame one individual for everything? We tried to do something with the right intentions. Yes, there were some steps that could have been done differently, but am I going to be then forever blamed for doing a mistake? I mean, OK, if this is the way, fine, I’ll accept it, because that’s the only thing I can do,” Djokovic said.

The Serb, who has won all four Grand Slams and recently secured a record eighth Australian Open, said if given the chance to organize the Adria tour he would do it again.

Kyrgios said earlier this month that he would be skipping the U.S. Open, using his announcement to once again lambast the players he felt were being "selfish" by ignoring health protocols.

The US Open, which will begin on August 31 without the presence of fans, even as several high-ranking players, including defending champion Rafael Nadal and women’s number one Ashleigh Barty. Both have withdrawn from the event at Flushing Meadows citing risks due to COVID-19.