'Needs a slap': Aussie golf star torches 'brat' Nick Kyrgios

No discipline. Already past his peak.

‘Needs a slap’.

Needless to say, Nick Kyrgios has copped an absolute serve from the panellists on Fox Sports show The Back Page.

Former golf pro turned media commentator Paul Gow slammed Kyrgios for his antics during the Italian Open.

Gow labelled the fiery tennis star a “fair dinkum brat”.

“He’s lowering his expectation as a professional athlete,” Gow said.

“That’s what you’ve got to do sometimes, is lower that down, but this is to another level.

“He is a fair dinkum brat, he needs a slap.

“It’s a privilege to be a professional athlete, and he might make 20, 30 million dollars but at the end of the day he’s a brat.”

The other panellists, veteran reporter Robert ‘Crash’ Craddock and tennis journalist Adam Peacock, were also left stunned by Kyrgios’ recent behaviour.

After giving an explosive interview to New York Times writer Ben Rothernberg on his No Challenges Remaining podcast, in which Kyrgios slammed tour veterans Rafael Nadal, Novak Djokovic and Fernando Verdasco, the risible Aussie defaulted from the Italian Open after tossing a chair onto the court in a fit of rage.

Kyrgios then went on to share a video on social media, in which he said ‘the French Open absolutely sucks’.

“He continues to make headlines,” Peacock said.

“I think he makes more headlines here than anywhere else in the world, so I don’t think it will be too vitriolic when he gets to the French Open.

“But they won’t take kindly to it.

“He’s now alienated people watching him, and he does that. But he also gets people behind him because he is a point of difference.

“He’s trying to prove something. I’m not sure what it is. I’ve got a fair idea what it is. It’s that ‘I don’t care’ so whatever happens, happens.

“Maybe a version of existentialism or something.”

Responding to Gow’s ‘slap’ comment, Craddock questioned who on the tennis circuit would even attempt to pull Kyrgios into line.

Roger Federer notably broke ranks to support Kyrgios after his chair-throwing outburst, downplaying its impact.

The thing is: who’s going to slap him?” he asked..

“I mean, Federer said it was only a chair. When I saw that I thought that’s tennis’s problem.

“But two questions. One, has he got any mates that can drag him into line and take him for a beer or something?

“And secondly, have we seen the best of him, even though he’s only 24? Do you feel he’s on this spiral down now?”