Nick Kyrgios celebrated his Washington, D.C. title going airborne with a couple of guys he sees forging a long-time rivalry.
Kyrgios stopped Stefanos Tsitsipas and Daniil Medvedev in dramatic succession to seize his sixth career title at the Citi Open.
Watch: Kyrgios and Sonego Fire Up Cincy Crowd
The 23-year-old Aussie believes Tsitsipas and Medvedev will create a riveting rivalry “probably for the next 15 years.”
All three players flew a private NetJets flight from Washington, D.C. to Montreal for last week’s Rogers Cup.
Kyrgios said it was all good between two former feuding foes who nearly went at it after a 2018 Miami Open match.
“On the private jet? I mean, it was fine,” Kyrgios told the media in Cincinnati after his opening-round win. “It's all right. I think that little run-in they had, was it last year, I think that's well behind them.
"It's probably good they don't think about that anymore, because they're going to see each other a lot more times, going to see each other probably for the next 15 years.
“They only get to see me for the next three or four years, but, I mean, they're gonna see each other a long time. I think they should get over it. I think they're fine.”
Last week in Montreal Medvedev was asked about the state of his relationship with Tsitsipas.
"We don't have a relationship, if I can answer like this," Medvedev replied. "I'm not talking about... I mean, tough to say. As I always said, I'm not enemies with him, but we're definitely not friends."
The friction between the pair dates back to the 2018 Miami Open.
Medvedev beat back Tsitsipas, 2-6, 6-4, 6-2, then things almost turned physical following the post-match handshake.
Angered by Tsitsipas' behavior during the match, which included taking a bathroom break at one point, Medvedev said it's better for the Greek teen "to shut the f--k up, okay"
The chair umpire eventually intervened between the pair as Medvedev railed "Hey Stefanos, you want to look at me and talk?...
"Hey look at me. He started it. He said 'bullshit Russian' you think this is normal. He is a small kid that doesn't know how to fight."
Kyrgios says it's time the Top 10 pair put the bad blood behind them and believes they will develop into rivals.
The former Cincinnati finalist said that type of raw friction can be good for the growth of the game and hopes emerging young players like Felix Auger-Aliassime and Tsitsipas can attract a younger fan base making tennis "cool."
"You know, I think people are so concerned about keeping fans in the game, but I personally believe it's about bringing in a whole new different fan base to the game," Kyrgios said. "I think you look at the American sports like NBA, NFL, I mean, so exciting. I think they do it the right way, and I'm just trying to bring new fans to the sport.
"That's one of my goals, actually, and I really want, you know, tennis to grow. I think there is so much potential for it to grow. I look at all the young players coming up, Tsitsipas, Felix, these guys, they all have different personalities. I think if the higher-up people in tennis market them the right way and we play the entertaining tennis we do, I think tennis can become pretty cool."
Photo credit: Citi Open Facebook