'Don't know why he said that': Daria Gavrilova slams Nick Kyrgios

Daria Gavrilova (pictured left) with Nick Kyrgios (pictured right). (Getty Images)
Daria Gavrilova (pictured left) with Nick Kyrgios (pictured right). (Getty Images)

Aussie tennis star Daria Gavrilova has questioned why Nick Kyrgios left everyone in the dark regarding his tweet about the potential merger of the WTA and ATP.

Roger Federer sparked a frenzy when he called for a merger between the ATP Tour and WTA, with lower-level professionals in deep financial crisis because of the sport's shutdown due to the coronavirus pandemic.

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But Kyrgios emphatically rejected Federer’s call to unite the men’s and women’s tennis tours under one governing body.

The Aussie slammed the idea asking if anyone had actually consulted the majority of the players.

But now Gavrilova has questioned why Kyrgios wasn’t more open about his opinion, rather than just confusing people with a few short tweets.

“Well, I don’t really talk to him. Only if I see him at tournaments. I don’t know why he said that,” she told the Metro.

“But also, when you have your opinion, you really have to articulate yourself well. You can’t just tweet something and then not think people are going to want to hear from you more or they might even argue with you,” she added.

Gavrilova says she relates to Kyrgios

Gavrilova’s relationship with Kyrgios appears tense.

Despite playing mixed-doubles together in the past at the Hopman Cup, Kyrgios criticised Gavrilova’s meltdown during the Mexico Open in 2018.

But the former WTA World No.20 said she relates to Kyrgios when he does something controversial.

Daria Gavrilova and Nick Kyrgios pose for a photo.
Daria Gavrilova and Nick Kyrgios of Australia pose on the blue carpet during the Hopman Cup New Year's Eve Gala. (Photo by Paul Kane/Getty Images)

However, she also claims while sometimes the opinions of others don’t come into her thought process, she understands there could be repercussions.

“I might not go as crazy but I just can’t be bothered tweeting about it or writing about it,” she said.

“And I’m like, “who cares about your opinion?”. But then sometimes it’s something you say and it’ll haunt you forever.”