Nick Kyrgios had an axe to grind after his Australian Open doubles success, blasting the media over claims he disrespected Ash Barty and labelling his opponent Max Purcell a "donut".
The last two weeks in Melbourne have been successful for Kyrgios, who had played very little competitive tennis in the build-up to his home Grand Slam.
The man from Canberra lost in the second round of the singles, though it was the tournament favourite and eventual finalist Daniil Medvedev who beat him in an eye-catching duel.
But Kyrgios built on that with a stunning run through the men's doubles field alongside fellow Aussie Thanasi Kokkinakis.
The duo had the support of the raucous Melbourne crowds, which helped them to reach the final and win the competition by beating their compatriots Purcell and Matt Ebden in the trophy-decider.
After that win he claimed the atmosphere in the arena had been "the best this tournament has ever seen" prompting some to suggest such an assertion was disrespectful to women's champion Ash Barty who had won the singles title on home soil for the first time.
Kyrgios later took to Instagram to refute those suggestions in no uncertain terms.
"Honestly, I said nothing disrespectful to Ash Barty," he wrote. "I said that the crowd this year was amazing and I feel as if Thanasi and I were a big part of that. Ash's father came to me and even said that.
"All I said was that when people watch me around the world the stadiums are full."
In the same post on social media, he also took aim at Purcell who had suggested that the rowdy crowd which followed Kyrgios throughout the competition might be off-putting for fans watching at home.
"I think it was great for ticket sales here, but I'm not so sure how it was taken overseas," he said.
"If you're watching some of Nick and Thanasi’s matches earlier in the week and you’re overseas, maybe you get turned off tennis a little bit."
After labelling Purcell a "donut" for that assessment, Kyrgios suggested his fellow pro should not comment on crowds due to his repetitive playing style.
"Regarding your comments after the match, you clearly have no idea about entertainment and sport," Kyrgios wrote.
"If you haven't noticed there is a reason why people actually come to my matches, it's because the level and my game are actually worth watching.
"Next time you lose another Slam final, you should just put your head down and try to figure out how to play the big points better.
"No need to slate other Aussies in the media because people would rather watch paint dry than your serve and volley game style."
