“Worst take I’ve ever seen”: Nick Kyrgios and Thanasi Kokkinakis defend Alex de Minaur amid criticism from fans on social media

Nick Kyrgios and Thanasi Kokkinakis Defend Alex de Minaur After Harsh Criticism

Australian tennis stars Nick Kyrgios and Thanasi Kokkinakis have come to the defense of fellow countryman Alex de Minaur after the world No. 8 faced heavy criticism following his quarterfinal loss to Jannik Sinner at the Australian Open.

De Minaur suffered a straight-sets defeat (6-3, 6-2, 6-1) against the in-form world No. 1, marking his ninth consecutive loss to the Italian. The result led to a wave of criticism on social media, with some fans questioning his standing in the sport.

One particularly harsh post on X (formerly Twitter) claimed:

“The fact De Minaur is 8th seed just shows how poor the quality of tennis is these days. Bloke wouldn’t be top 100 in any other era. Genuinely average player.”

Kyrgios and Kokkinakis quickly shut down the criticism, standing up for their compatriot.

“This could be the worst take I’ve ever seen,” wrote Kyrgios, a 2022 Wimbledon finalist.
“There’ve been some bad ones, but this is right up there,” added Kokkinakis.

Kyrgios and Kokkinakis’ Own Australian Open Run

Both Kyrgios and Kokkinakis also competed in the 2025 Australian Open, though their campaigns were short-lived. Kyrgios, a former world No. 13, suffered a first-round exit in singles, falling to Britain’s Jacob Fearnley in straight sets (7-6, 6-3, 7-6). He also partnered with Kokkinakis in doubles, but the duo—dubbed the “Special Ks”—were defeated in the opening round by Aleksandar Vukic and James Duckworth.

Meanwhile, Kokkinakis had a slightly better run in singles, advancing to the second round before losing a hard-fought five-setter to Britain’s Jack Draper (6-7, 6-3, 3-6, 7-5, 6-3).

Despite their early exits, both players made their presence felt off the court, standing by De Minaur and shutting down what they saw as unfair criticism.