Australian Open: Nick Krygios once again hits out at Novak Djokovic

Nick Kyrgios has once again hit out at Novak Djokovic after the World No. 1 tennis player demanded the ease of quarantine measures last week.

Ahead of the calendar year's opening Grand Slam in Australia, the local star Kyrgios was furious at Djokovic for the 'demands', as he put it, and said that it was time that other tennis players should call him out for such unreasonable statements.

"I think it's very important (to hold players accountable) especially when it's one of the leaders of our sport. (Djokovic is) one of the leaders of our sport. He's technically our LeBron James in the way he has to be setting an example for all tennis players. When he was doing some of the things he was doing during the global pandemic, it just wasn't the right time.

I know everyone makes mistakes, some of us go off track sometimes, and I think we have to hold each other accountable. We're colleagues at the end of the day; we compete against each other, we play in the same sport," Kyrgios told CNN.

"No one else was really holding him (Djokovic) accountable. Everyone loses their way a little bit, but I think he just needs to pull it back. I'm not doing any of this sort of stuff for media attention: These are the morals I've grown up with and I was just trying to do my part," added Krygios in the CNN interview.

Earlier, Djokovic had reportedly asked for reduced isolation periods and moving players in hard quarantine to "private houses with tennis courts" and as a result, the Serbian received major backlash from Australian people and media. The defending champion later clarified that his "good intentions" for fellow competitors had been "misconstrued."

"My good intentions for my fellow competitors in Melbourne have been misconstrued as being selfish, difficult, and ungrateful. This couldn't be farther from the truth. At times when I see the aftermath of things, I do tend to ask myself if I should just sit back and enjoy my benefits instead of paying attention to other people's struggles," Djokovic, who is isolating in Adelaide along with other top players, said in a lengthy statement.

Having won the Australian Open eight times, Djokovic is the most successful player in the Grand Slam. After not winning the trophy for three years from 2016 to 2018, Djokovic bounced back like never before to secure the title in 2019 and 2020. He defeated Austria's Dominic Thiem in a close five-setter last year in the Australian Open final, a win that handed him his 17th Grand Slam trophy.

He currently trails the duo of Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal by three Grand Slam titles. While Nadal is set to participate in the upcoming Australian Open, which is due to begin next month, Federer will miss it as he is still recovering from the two knee surgeries he has had recently.