Nick Kyrgios lashes out after being trolled by fan over new Casper Ruud friendship

Nick Kyrgios recently slammed a fan for drawing attention to a past contentious remark he made about Casper Ruud. The Australian and Ruud were recently seen enjoying a moment of camaraderie courtside at the ongoing 2024 World Tennis League in Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates.

The Aussie, known for his controversial moments and some tensions with peers, has a history of conflict with Ruud. Nearly three years ago Kyrgios made a contentious remark about the Norwegian's mother after Ruud sarcastically asked him to name his favorite clay court tournament.

This week, Kyrgios penned a heartfelt note for Ruud after the duo, representing Team Kites, defeated Jordan Thompson and Sumit Nagal of Team Hawks. However, a fan on X (formerly Twitter) later put Kyrgios' new comments alongside his old one about Ruud and wrote:

"Kyrgios is 100% one of those guys who trash talks someone online and then sees them in person and immediately backs down."

Kyrgios responded to these comments by writing:

"You 100% the person who’s not capable of doing anything elite physically and trash talks elite athletes and probably still lives in his mums basement."

Ruud's recent post showing his camaraderie with Kyrgios drew criticism from several fans, many of whom questioned why so many players continue to foster friendly relationships with Kyrgios despite his history of contentious remarks toward fellow players.

Nevertheless, the Australian is confident ahead of his return in the 2025 season.

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"I’ll always back myself and do everything I can to compete" - Nick Kyrgios ahead of his return for the 2025 season

Nick Kyrgios at an event - Image Source: Getty

Nick Kyrgios was out of action for most of the 2023 season and the entire 2024 season due to a series of injuries, including to the knee and wrist.

The Aussie is poised to return to tour-level action at the Brisbane International, a key warm-up for the Australian Open starting on December 29. Ahead of his comeback, Kyrgios exuded confidence, backing himself against formidable opponents such as Jannik Sinner and Carlos Alcaraz. He said (via Telecomasia),

"There’s no doubt that Sinner, Alcaraz—these guys are the best in the world right now, hands down. But that doesn’t mean I won’t believe in myself. I’ll always back myself and do everything I can to compete."

The 29-year-old has won seven tour-level titles including the Citi Open, Brisbane International, and the Japan Open. He last competed at the Boss Open Stuttgart last year, where he suffered a first-round exit to China's Wu Yibing.