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Doubles world No. 31 Max Purcell has tried to defuse his feud with Nick Kyrgios, insisting he has nothing against Kyrgios and Thanasi Kokkinakis. Kyrgios and Kokkinakis beat Purcell and Matt Ebden 7-5 6-4 in the Australian Open doubles final.
“I think it was great for ticket sales here but I’m not so sure how it was taken overseas,” Purcell 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.
“The fact that we are Australian; I don’t think they went as hard on us as they have the rest of them. I’m grateful for that”.
Kyrgios blasted Purcell
“As for Max Purcell, you donut, regarding your comments after the match, you clearly have no idea about entertainment and sport,” Kyrgios wrote in his Instagram Story.
“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 cuz (sic) people would rather watch paint dry than your serve-and-volley game style”. On Tuesday, Purcell reacted to Kyrgios' comments on Instagram. “They’re an exciting bloody pair to watch and play against, but I just think some of the crowds they were bringing weren’t quite respectful enough for their opponents," Purcell said, per news.com.au.
“I’ve got nothing against them. When Matty and I are playing, we’re trying to get the crowd involved (as well), but I just think the crowd took it upon themselves to go a little too far. “But I think it’s great for tennis … it’s promotion for the sport.
Doubles isn’t exactly huge out there, so the more coverage we got, the better. “It just would have been nice to see the crowd in earlier matches being a little more respectful”.