Nick Kyrgios takes cheeky dig at female star's 'quarantine' photo

With not much to do during the global sporting shutdown, many star athletes are spending a lot of time on social media.

And that includes Nick Kyrgios.

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Just a few days after responding to Eugenie Bouchard’s boyfriend ‘call-out’ on Twitter, Kyrgios sent a cheeky message to another female tennis star.

Kyrgios took a cheeky dig at former doubles partner Amanda Anisimova on Instagram after the American posted a photo in a bikini, writing: “When your backyard is a beach #quarantine”.

Kyrgios saw Anisimova’s pic and cheekily replied: “Stay inside silly.”

The Aussie was referencing the fact that nearly a third of the world’s population are in lockdown, with governments urging the public to stay inside and only leave the house when absolutely necessary.

While Kyrgios was probably joking, a number of other Instagram followers appeared to seriously question Anisimova’s actions.

Kyrgios’ special friendship with Anisimova

In January Kyrgios led the condemnation of a reporter who brought Anisimova to tears with a question about her late father at the Australian Open.

Anisimova broke down in her post-match press conference when asked if she was feeling ‘unsettled’.

“Do we really have to talk about this so fast after a match,” she said before bursting into tears.

The 18-year-old was playing her first major since the shock death of her father and long-time coach Konstantin Anisimov, who suffered a heart attack just before the 2019 US Open.

“Things are still pretty tough but I was excited to play in the Australian Open as it's my favourite grand slam,” she said after composing herself in the press conference.

“I have good memories from it.”

Kyrgios was among those to slam the journalist, taking to social media with a scathing swipe.

“This makes me so mad. Have a heart and please feel, it’s not fair. Keep your head up Amanda,” Kyrgios tweeted.

Kyrgios also went in to bat for Anisimova before they played mixed doubles together.

“She's an amazing person. I'm just looking forward to go out there and hopefully — I mean, she lost first round. I know it's not going to be easy for her to be around the tournament,” Kyrgios said.

“Hopefully I can get her up, bring some good vibes. Hopefully we can do well. I think we can. She's an amazing player. I'm looking forward to it.

“I've been excited for this for like a month and a half. I'm like a little kid at the moment. I'm pretty excited.”

with AAP