‘Don’t want a bar of him’: Kyrgios doubles down on Djokovic claims

Djokovic’s visa was cancelled after the Australian Border Force concluded he didn’t have sufficient evidence to justify a vaccination exemption that would have allowed him into the country to compete in this month’s grand slam.

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He’s being held in a Melbourne hotel as the 34-year-old waits for his legal challenge against an impending deportation to continue on Monday.

Kyrgios has publicly criticised Djokovic — a noted anti-vaxxer with beliefs that go against traditional science — for his behaviour during the pandemic and the two are rarely on the same page.

That’s why it was surprising to see the Aussie star defend his rival on Twitter on Friday.

“Look I definitely believe in taking action, I got vaccinated because of others and for my mum’s health, but how we are handling Novak’s situation is bad, really bad,” Kyrgios said.

“Like these memes, headlines, this is one of our great champions but at the end of the day, he is human. Do better.”

Kyrgios was asked about the situation when he fronted reporters on Saturday and believes if Djokovic’s legal battle allows him to compete at the Australian Open, he will be a man on a mission.

“For the sport, we need him here … I just want it to end,” Kyrgios said. “I’m feeling for him now, it’s not really humane what’s going on.

“If he’s allowed to play the Australian Open, I don’t want any bar of him. I reckon he’s going to be p***ed off.

“He’s going to be very determined to play well and stick it to everyone of what’s going on. And I don’t want any bar of that Novak.”

Despite his various swipes at Djokovic in the past, Kyrgios said the duo were friendly when he first arrived on the ATP tour. He also said the media had blown their disagreements out of proportion

“Me and Novak actually used to be friends, used to practice at events. And again, the media has kind of divided us as well,” Kyrgios said.

“They have just blown it out of proportion with some things and now it’s almost made it 30 times worse where it really wasn’t that bad.

“I remember Novak was actually one of the only players when I was young that came towards me and said, ‘If you ever need anything, feel free to reach out and I’ll be open to help’.”

Kyrgios also said Australia was too quick to forget the positive things Djokovic has done, like helping raise funds when parts of the country were ravaged by bushfires.

“I feel he’s helped us as well. Like during the bushfires, he was supportive, he was helping us out,” Kyrgios said.

“We are so quick to forget … or the media is so quick to forget or so quick to jump on things like this and forget he’s actually helped us.

“I don’t forget that. I just feel … like I could use this as a publicity stunt. I could just agree with the general person and say, ‘Yeah, this isn’t good’ and use it. But I don’t think that’s right. That’s why I’m using my platform now to say we’ve got to do better, we have to do better.”

Originally published as ‘Don’t want a bar of him’: Kyrgios doubles down on Djokovic claims