‘Get a job': Nick Kyrgios' ugly feud with American tennis journalist intensifies
The Aussie may not be playing at Wimbledon this year and was not retained by the BBC as a commentator but that hasn't stopped him from making headlines.
Watch the biggest Aussie sports & the best from overseas LIVE on Kayo Sports | New to Kayo? Get your first month for just $1. Limited time offer.
Last week it was revealed that the former World No. 13 has partnered up with Rachel Starr and fellow adult actor Sophie Stonehouse for brand new OnlyFans content, a series titled Smash City.
Although the name may hint at spicy content it is anything but, with the four-episode show for OnlyFans TV a pickleball-based competition that sees eight OnlyFans creators compete for $20,000.
However, away from his new venture, Kyrgios continues to take swipes at Rothenburg, most recently appearing to make fun of the journalist's physique.
It all began when the popular tennis fan page 'Tennis Centel' posted a picture of the American journalist captured from behind on Sunday captioned: 'Bro Ben Rothenberg is built like a groundhog LMAO.'
As the post gained traction, Kyrgios stuck the boot in, retweeting the post and writing 'Tennis central'
But tennis fans were not amused, quickly denouncing his behaviour.
'Bully and nothing else. Just sad I used to support you,' one person commented.
'Fat shaming? Classy as ever…,' another added.
While others wrote 'I used to admire you' and 'Dude you're 30, grow up'.
In response to Kygious, Rothenberg wrote on X: 'Bro you have tweeted about me four times already this month and it's only July 6th. Let's work on getting you a job again.'
But the Aussie couldn't help but to clap back again writing: 'Awwww Benny I'm doing just fine. Someone's feelings are hurting …. Not so fun anymore is it?'
It is just the latest chapter in a bubbling feud between the pair spanning close to five years but has heated up in the last two years.
The American journalist has repeatedly called for Kyrgios to be pulled from the air, most recently for controversial tweets demeaning a WTA player.
'Honestly a bit surprised to see ESPN didn't yank Nick Kyrgios off air mid-#USOpen final, seeing his most recent disparaging tweet about a WTA player circulating,' Rothenberg wrote last year during the US Open.
'Given his history of demeaning women, women's tennis, and WTA players, it was already a dubious choice to have him.'
While Kyrgios remains sidelined through a recurring wrist injury, the 30-year-old has been doing work for TalkSport and continuing his commentary career on his YouTube podcast 'Good Trouble with Nick Kyrgios'.
He was, however, snubbed by the BBC for Wimbledon coverage this year, after being a shock inclusion in the commentary box at the All England Club last year.
Responding to being overlooked he told The Guardian last month: 'I know I'm a great commentator. All I've done for 20 years is play, study and breathe this sport.
'I also think tennis needs commentators who say things that not everyone says.
'I understand they've got Chris Eubanks, but he hasn't beaten the greatest of all time multiple times.
'When someone's beaten Federer, Nadal, Murray and Djokovic and has incredible insights, it's very strange you wouldn't want that person adding knowledge to tennis fans'.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
The Advertiser
13 minutes ago
- The Advertiser
Injury rescues world No.1 from early Wimbledon exit
Two sets down and nursing an elbow injury, Jannik Sinner's Wimbledon looked done when the roof was closed on Centre Court. Grigor Dimitrov was playing sublime tennis on Monday and the world No.1's five-set record would not have encouraged him, Sinner having lost six, won one. Two games later Dimitrov, having just served an ace to tie up the third set 2-2, slumped to the ground holding the pectoral muscle on the right, serving side of his chest. It looked bad, and it was. Sinner helped his stricken opponent to his feet, the medics attended to the Bulgarian, he briefly stepped off court, then returned and conceded. The 34-year-old was in so much discomfort he had to use his left arm to support his right arm when he shook hands with the chair umpire, grimacing as he did so. This was the fifth grand slam in succession in which Dimitrov has been forced to quit through injury, and he was distraught. And Sinner did not seem like a man who enjoyed his reprieve. "I don't take this as a win at all, this is just an unfortunate moment for us to witness," said the top seed after advancing with the scores 3-6 5-7 2-2. "He has struggled in grand slams with injuries a lot, so seeing him again with this injury is very tough. "He has been so unlucky in the past couple of years. He is an incredible player who is a good friend of mine. We understand each other very well off the court. "Seeing him in this position, if there was a chance for him to be in the next round he would deserve it. "This is not the end we wanted to see and it's very sad." Sinner, nevertheless, is into the last eight and a meeting with Ben Shelton, who had seen off another Italian, Lorenzo Sonego, 3-6 6-1 7-6 (7-1) 7-5 earlier on Monday. Sinner will hope his elbow complaint, which happened when he braced a fall with his right hand while still holding his racquet, is not serious because Shelton has looked in powerful form. By reaching the last eight, the American beat his watching father's best at Wimbledon, Bryan Shelton having been stopped in the fourth round in 1994. "He was a serve-and-volleyer. Big serve. Came forward all the time. He would like to see me coming forward a little bit more than I am. My argument is I think I'm better than him from the baseline," Shelton said. In the other quarter-final in this section of the draw, Novak Djokovic, who beat Australia's Alex de Minaur in four sets after losing the first 6-1, will meet Flavio Cobolli. The Italian defeated Marin Ciic 6-4 6-4 6-7 (4-7) 7-6 (7-3) on No.2 court. Cobolli, who like Shelton is coached by his father, said: "I'm real emotional because this is the day that I never forget." Talking of Cilic, a former US Open winner and Wimbledon finalist, Cobolli added: "Everyone on my family, on my team, always told me that I live for this kind of match. "I think is true because I really love to play against a big player, against a legend of our sport. I like to play on this kind of stage, this kind of tournament." Next up is Djokovic on a show court. They don't come much bigger than that. Two sets down and nursing an elbow injury, Jannik Sinner's Wimbledon looked done when the roof was closed on Centre Court. Grigor Dimitrov was playing sublime tennis on Monday and the world No.1's five-set record would not have encouraged him, Sinner having lost six, won one. Two games later Dimitrov, having just served an ace to tie up the third set 2-2, slumped to the ground holding the pectoral muscle on the right, serving side of his chest. It looked bad, and it was. Sinner helped his stricken opponent to his feet, the medics attended to the Bulgarian, he briefly stepped off court, then returned and conceded. The 34-year-old was in so much discomfort he had to use his left arm to support his right arm when he shook hands with the chair umpire, grimacing as he did so. This was the fifth grand slam in succession in which Dimitrov has been forced to quit through injury, and he was distraught. And Sinner did not seem like a man who enjoyed his reprieve. "I don't take this as a win at all, this is just an unfortunate moment for us to witness," said the top seed after advancing with the scores 3-6 5-7 2-2. "He has struggled in grand slams with injuries a lot, so seeing him again with this injury is very tough. "He has been so unlucky in the past couple of years. He is an incredible player who is a good friend of mine. We understand each other very well off the court. "Seeing him in this position, if there was a chance for him to be in the next round he would deserve it. "This is not the end we wanted to see and it's very sad." Sinner, nevertheless, is into the last eight and a meeting with Ben Shelton, who had seen off another Italian, Lorenzo Sonego, 3-6 6-1 7-6 (7-1) 7-5 earlier on Monday. Sinner will hope his elbow complaint, which happened when he braced a fall with his right hand while still holding his racquet, is not serious because Shelton has looked in powerful form. By reaching the last eight, the American beat his watching father's best at Wimbledon, Bryan Shelton having been stopped in the fourth round in 1994. "He was a serve-and-volleyer. Big serve. Came forward all the time. He would like to see me coming forward a little bit more than I am. My argument is I think I'm better than him from the baseline," Shelton said. In the other quarter-final in this section of the draw, Novak Djokovic, who beat Australia's Alex de Minaur in four sets after losing the first 6-1, will meet Flavio Cobolli. The Italian defeated Marin Ciic 6-4 6-4 6-7 (4-7) 7-6 (7-3) on No.2 court. Cobolli, who like Shelton is coached by his father, said: "I'm real emotional because this is the day that I never forget." Talking of Cilic, a former US Open winner and Wimbledon finalist, Cobolli added: "Everyone on my family, on my team, always told me that I live for this kind of match. "I think is true because I really love to play against a big player, against a legend of our sport. I like to play on this kind of stage, this kind of tournament." Next up is Djokovic on a show court. They don't come much bigger than that. Two sets down and nursing an elbow injury, Jannik Sinner's Wimbledon looked done when the roof was closed on Centre Court. Grigor Dimitrov was playing sublime tennis on Monday and the world No.1's five-set record would not have encouraged him, Sinner having lost six, won one. Two games later Dimitrov, having just served an ace to tie up the third set 2-2, slumped to the ground holding the pectoral muscle on the right, serving side of his chest. It looked bad, and it was. Sinner helped his stricken opponent to his feet, the medics attended to the Bulgarian, he briefly stepped off court, then returned and conceded. The 34-year-old was in so much discomfort he had to use his left arm to support his right arm when he shook hands with the chair umpire, grimacing as he did so. This was the fifth grand slam in succession in which Dimitrov has been forced to quit through injury, and he was distraught. And Sinner did not seem like a man who enjoyed his reprieve. "I don't take this as a win at all, this is just an unfortunate moment for us to witness," said the top seed after advancing with the scores 3-6 5-7 2-2. "He has struggled in grand slams with injuries a lot, so seeing him again with this injury is very tough. "He has been so unlucky in the past couple of years. He is an incredible player who is a good friend of mine. We understand each other very well off the court. "Seeing him in this position, if there was a chance for him to be in the next round he would deserve it. "This is not the end we wanted to see and it's very sad." Sinner, nevertheless, is into the last eight and a meeting with Ben Shelton, who had seen off another Italian, Lorenzo Sonego, 3-6 6-1 7-6 (7-1) 7-5 earlier on Monday. Sinner will hope his elbow complaint, which happened when he braced a fall with his right hand while still holding his racquet, is not serious because Shelton has looked in powerful form. By reaching the last eight, the American beat his watching father's best at Wimbledon, Bryan Shelton having been stopped in the fourth round in 1994. "He was a serve-and-volleyer. Big serve. Came forward all the time. He would like to see me coming forward a little bit more than I am. My argument is I think I'm better than him from the baseline," Shelton said. In the other quarter-final in this section of the draw, Novak Djokovic, who beat Australia's Alex de Minaur in four sets after losing the first 6-1, will meet Flavio Cobolli. The Italian defeated Marin Ciic 6-4 6-4 6-7 (4-7) 7-6 (7-3) on No.2 court. Cobolli, who like Shelton is coached by his father, said: "I'm real emotional because this is the day that I never forget." Talking of Cilic, a former US Open winner and Wimbledon finalist, Cobolli added: "Everyone on my family, on my team, always told me that I live for this kind of match. "I think is true because I really love to play against a big player, against a legend of our sport. I like to play on this kind of stage, this kind of tournament." Next up is Djokovic on a show court. They don't come much bigger than that. Two sets down and nursing an elbow injury, Jannik Sinner's Wimbledon looked done when the roof was closed on Centre Court. Grigor Dimitrov was playing sublime tennis on Monday and the world No.1's five-set record would not have encouraged him, Sinner having lost six, won one. Two games later Dimitrov, having just served an ace to tie up the third set 2-2, slumped to the ground holding the pectoral muscle on the right, serving side of his chest. It looked bad, and it was. Sinner helped his stricken opponent to his feet, the medics attended to the Bulgarian, he briefly stepped off court, then returned and conceded. The 34-year-old was in so much discomfort he had to use his left arm to support his right arm when he shook hands with the chair umpire, grimacing as he did so. This was the fifth grand slam in succession in which Dimitrov has been forced to quit through injury, and he was distraught. And Sinner did not seem like a man who enjoyed his reprieve. "I don't take this as a win at all, this is just an unfortunate moment for us to witness," said the top seed after advancing with the scores 3-6 5-7 2-2. "He has struggled in grand slams with injuries a lot, so seeing him again with this injury is very tough. "He has been so unlucky in the past couple of years. He is an incredible player who is a good friend of mine. We understand each other very well off the court. "Seeing him in this position, if there was a chance for him to be in the next round he would deserve it. "This is not the end we wanted to see and it's very sad." Sinner, nevertheless, is into the last eight and a meeting with Ben Shelton, who had seen off another Italian, Lorenzo Sonego, 3-6 6-1 7-6 (7-1) 7-5 earlier on Monday. Sinner will hope his elbow complaint, which happened when he braced a fall with his right hand while still holding his racquet, is not serious because Shelton has looked in powerful form. By reaching the last eight, the American beat his watching father's best at Wimbledon, Bryan Shelton having been stopped in the fourth round in 1994. "He was a serve-and-volleyer. Big serve. Came forward all the time. He would like to see me coming forward a little bit more than I am. My argument is I think I'm better than him from the baseline," Shelton said. In the other quarter-final in this section of the draw, Novak Djokovic, who beat Australia's Alex de Minaur in four sets after losing the first 6-1, will meet Flavio Cobolli. The Italian defeated Marin Ciic 6-4 6-4 6-7 (4-7) 7-6 (7-3) on No.2 court. Cobolli, who like Shelton is coached by his father, said: "I'm real emotional because this is the day that I never forget." Talking of Cilic, a former US Open winner and Wimbledon finalist, Cobolli added: "Everyone on my family, on my team, always told me that I live for this kind of match. "I think is true because I really love to play against a big player, against a legend of our sport. I like to play on this kind of stage, this kind of tournament." Next up is Djokovic on a show court. They don't come much bigger than that.
News.com.au
17 minutes ago
- News.com.au
Defender Zach Reid sent for surgery as injuries hit Essendon, Sydney hard
Essendon opted for season-ending surgery to repair luckless defender Zach Reid's troublesome hamstring to give him the best chance of a 'full recovery'. The Bombers have been hit harder than most teams by injury in 2025 and have also sent midfielder Jye Caldwell under the knife to repair his syndesmosis injury. Reid got Essendon fans excited this season after stringing together 10 games, having played just eight since being drafted in 2020 amid countless injury issues, and he was given a three-year contract extension. But after experiencing some hamstring awareness towards the end of last Wednesday's main training session, follow-up scans confirmed a minor strain. After consulting specialists, surgery was deemed the best option, ending Reid's season. Essendon football boss Daniel McPherson is disappointed about the latest setback for Reid but confident in what the future holds for him. 'It's a tough blow for 'Reidy' to be ruled out for the year. However, we believe the surgical option offers him the best chance for a full recovery,' McPherson said. 'He's demonstrated exactly why he's so highly rated during the first 11 games this season. He remains a key part of our future.' Caldwell suffered his syndesmosis injury late in the fourth term of Saturday's loss to the Gold Coast Suns when his ankle was caught beneath him in a tackle. He will have surgery in the coming days with a return-to-play timeline yet to be determined. Youngster Nik Cox was also ordered by the AFL's concussion panel to stand down for the rest of 2025 as part of a return to play program. Meanwhile, Sydney's hopes of making a run to the finals have been hit hard, losing key forward Joel Amartey for 8-12 weeks with a high-grade adductor strain and Tom Papley will miss 2-3 weeks with a hamstring injury. Both injuries were sustained in Sunday's win over Fremantle that pushed last year's grand finalists to 10th on the ladder with a 7-9 record.
News.com.au
24 minutes ago
- News.com.au
Payne Haas and Brian To'o cleared to start for the NSW Blues on Wednesday night
NSW coach Laurie Daley has confirmed the team will be 1-17 for the State of Origin decider barring any late mishaps, with injured duo Brian To'o and Payne Haas declared fit after getting through Monday night's session at Accor Stadium. To'o had been in doubt all week after he picked up a knee injury in Penrith's win over the Bulldogs, but he looked fine on Tuesday morning as he walked to get a coffee with his teammates, with the powerful winger scoring a hat-trick in game two despite battling a hamstring strain. Haas has also been dealing with quad and back issues all series but has been given the all clear to play in Wednesday's decider in a huge boost for the Blues. 'Brian trained all the session, and Payne did a little bit,' Daley said. 'We always knew going into the game that Payne would be on restricted duties, but he'll be ready for game time. 'Unless anything happens between now and then – which I don't expect it to – we'll be 1-17.' While a younger forward may have been ruled out last week, Daley said Haas has earned the team's trust and may have actually enjoyed having a few sessions off given the work he gets through at the Broncos. 'There are some people that you wouldn't give that time to,' the coach said. 'But the fact that he's done it before (makes us trust him) and to be fair, it'll probably help him because he plays long minutes for a front-rower and he plays every game. 'He probably needs a bit of a freshen up so he'll be champing at the bit to get out there. He wanted to do more out there last night, but it's not about being right on a Monday night – we need him right on Wednesday.' The irony is that the two biggest concerns have been the state's best players this series, with Haas dominating game one despite barely training, while To'o scored three tries in Perth. 'They've earned the trust with the performances they've put in, and the performances they've put in big games,' skipper Isaah Yeo said. 'Payne and 'Bizza' (To'o) have probably been the question marks, but that's been normal for them for the whole campaign. 'Payne was our man of the match in game one and Bizza was our man of the match in game two, so off the back of those performances you can trust that they've done enough.' Daley will need both men to be at their best as he searches for his first win as coach in a series decider having lost them all in 2013, 2015 and 2017 against the greatest Queensland side ever assembled. But the Blues legend has downplayed the past and says his players will determine whether his second stint in charge ends in success. 'I don't even worry about that. I just worry about now and what I need to do for this team,' he said. 'I don't care about me, I care about the team and I want them to do well.' The Blues are warm favourites for the decider where Nathan Cleary has been backed to dominate, but Latrell Mitchell looms as the man who could break the game wide open with his running game. The South Sydney superstar has passed well to To'o, but we're yet to see a trademark brutal carry that can swing momentum. That's a scary thought for the Maroons given Mitchell prides himself on being the greatest showman when the lights are brightest. 'I think he's been great for us throughout this campaign,' Yeo said. 'I certainly imagine him doing that (having a big game) with his right arm fend. We've seen that so many times in the big moments, whether that's in grand finals or other Origins. 'He's had a really good campaign and he's one of those guys who has the ability to break the game wide open. Any time he has the ball, he has the ability to do something special that not many other players can. 'When he's out there in these big games, he gives everyone else confidence. That's a really important thing and there aren't many players who can instil confidence in a team at this level.'
