"This man just pleaded guilty to assault and he's playing morality police" - Tennis fans lay into Nick Kyrgios for jibe at Stefanos Tsitsipas

Nick Kyrgios has hit back at Stefanos Tsitsipas's recent negative comments towards him, while also taunting the Greek for losing their infamous third-round match at Wimbledon last season.

Reacting to Tsitsipas' criticism of Kyrgios for his behavior in the high-octane match, the Australian slammed Tsitsipas for 'hitting someone' in the crowd and belting a bell out of the stadium. However, Kyrgios' words did not sit well with many tennis fans given his own past misdeeds.

It all started with Tsitsipas accusing Kyrgios of "playing the clown" in their match at the 2022 Wimbledon Championships. The Greek star reportedly blamed Kyrgios for spoiling their friendship with his aggressive behavior in a match that saw tensions flare up quite a bit.

Kyrgios responded to Tsitsipas' account of the incident, suggesting that the Greek was not innocent himself. The Aussie recalled how Tsitsipas acted out by hitting the ball in anger multiple times, allegedly hurting someone in the crowd in the process.

"Right….. this the match he hit someone in the crowd….. belted another ball out of the stadium and got taught a lesson in front of another full stadium….." Nick Kyrgios wrote on Twitter.

Kyrgios' criticism of Tsitsipas attracted a lot of flak from the tennis fan community. Many urged Kyrgios to refrain from calling out others while himself being guilty of bad on-court behavior and domestic violence.

"This man just pleaded guilty to assault, and hes on twitter playing the morality police, he's actually so unbelievably disgusting," a Twitter user wrote.

"Of all the people to speak on on court behavior," another fan expressed.

Here are a few more reactions from tennis fans to Nick Kyrgios' jibe towards Stefanos Tsitsipas over their Wimbledon row:

Nick Kyrgios pleads guilty on assault charge against ex-girlfriend, escapes conviction

Nick Kyrgios was forced to withdraw from the 2023 Australian Open.

Nick Kyrgios avoided conviction after a court judge in Australia dismissed charges of domestic abuse against him made by an ex-girlfriend. This came after the 28-year-old pleaded guilty to the charges, with his lawyers failing to get the case dismissed on mental health grounds.

Kyrgios admitted to pushing his ex-girlfriend onto the pavement after she stopped him from driving away following a fight.

Magistrate Beth Campbell, who presided over Kyrgios' case, excused the 2022 Wimbledon finalist over a "single act of stupidity or frustration" and "acting in the heat of the moment."

"You acted in the heat of the moment. I am dealing with you in the same way I would deal with any young man in this court. You are a young man who happens to hit a tennis ball particularly well," she told Kyrgios (via BBC).