Nick Kyrgios quotes LeBron James to dismiss haters amid criticism over Brisbane International comeback loss

Nick Kyrgios has lashed out at trolls deriding him over his loss in the first round of the Brisbane International earlier this week. The returning Kyrgios was defeated in the first round in three tie-break sets by emerging Frenchman Giovanni Mpetshi Perricard, who whizzed 36 aces past the Aussie in their encounter.

Since then, the Frenchman has moved into the last 8 with a 6-4, 7-6 (4) win over Frances Tiafoe.

Kyrgios, who was trolled on social media following his defeat, has reflected on the match in an interaction with his fans on Instagram.

Image via Instagram | @k1ngkyrg1os

"Everyone saying bad things and Tiafoe lost to GMP (Giovanni Mpetshi Perricard) too," noted a follower, writing to Kyrgios. "Should be proud bro."

“People are idiots; they have no idea and always have plenty of opinions,” Nick Kyrgios wrote in response.

The Aussie then went on to paraphrase a quote by NBA legend Lebron James, relating it to his own life.

“We are some of the best athletes in the world, as (Lebron) said, they gotta wake up and have the same lives as they had yesterday. We continue to live the way we want.”

Lebron, in 2011, after being beaten in the NBA finals, had famously remarked:

"At the end of the day all the people who are rooting for me to fail, at the end of the day, they have to wake up tomorrow and have the same life that they had before they woke up today, they got the same personal problems they had today. I'm going to continue to live the way I wanna live and continue to do the things that I wanna do."

The Aussie had slightly better luck in the doubles at Brisbane, where he paired up with 24-time Grand Slam champion Novak Djokovic, making it past the first round. However, the high-profile duo was bundled out in the second round by the top-seeded pairing of Nikola Mektic and Michael Venus.

---

Nick Kyrgios has said he will need "miracle" for Australian Open

After playing through pain at the Brisbane International, the former Wimbledon finalist has suggested he would need a miracle to participate at his home Grand Slam.

After his loss to Perricard in the first round of the singles, Nick Kyrgios said, "That's a best-of-three match with my wrist. If I'm able to (play) not only is a Grand Slam mentally really draining, it's physically a grind," he has said (via Reuters). "I think I almost need a miracle and I need, like, the stars to align for my wrist to hold up in a Grand Slam for sure."

The Aussie described his wrist as "very sore." At the Australian Open, he is set to feature in the doubles alongside compatriot Thanasi Kokkinakis. The duo emerged as champions in 2022, defeating their compatriots Matthew Ebden and Max Purcell in the final.

Meanwhile, former World No. 1 doubles player-turned-tennis expert Paul McNamee has advised Nick Kyrgios to get more matches under his belt before turning up for the first slam of the year. McNamee suggested that Kyrgios should participate in the ATP 250 tournament in Auckland for more on-court exposure.