Nick Kyrgios hits critics with stat that shows how much he has done for tennis

• Tennis News
• ATP Tennis

Nick Kyrgios says it is "funny" to see that numbers prove he is bringing more attention to tennis than the majority of top-10 players. On Twitter, Relevant Tennis posted about the social media fan following of the current top-10 players.

Since Kyrgios is not a top-10 player, his numbers weren't included. But if Kyrgios was on the list, he would have easily been ahead of at least eight players on the list. On Instagram alone, Kyrgios has a following of 4.1 million people.

After seeing the list, Kyrgios reacted with a "lol."

Lol — Nicholas Kyrgios (@NickKyrgios) August 4, 2023

One person reacted by telling Kyrgios: "Before mocking the top 10 players for having less followers than you, you should reach the top 10 first." Kyrgios responded by suggesting he wasn't throwing shade on the current top-10 players but rather pointing out how much he has done for the game: "No I think it’s funny that I’ve brought more to the sport than most, don’t be upset x."

No I think it’s funny that I’ve brought more to the sport than most, don’t be upset x — Nicholas Kyrgios (@NickKyrgios) August 4, 2023

Kyrgios sells out stadiums

Throughout his career, 28-year-old Kyrgios has faced lots of criticism and backlash.

But it is a fact that tournaments want Kyrgios because the Australian draws a lot of attention and his matches always feature a sold-out crowd. Even though Kyrgios doesn't have a Grand Slam singles title and has never been a top-10 player, he is undoubtedly one of the most popular players in the game and his social media following shows it.

In December, Kyrgios had a message for his critics. "I don't really care to be honest. Either way, I know I've stayed true to myself. I play the game the way I want to play it. And whatever people say, my stadiums are always full.

A lot of people have gravitated towards my type of tennis, I've been a kind of icon in the sport and, obviously, been able to be consistent in 2022. I guess you could say it was a breakthrough year," Kyrgios told the AAP in December.