Donald Trump: I'm going to build a great net and Djokovic is going to pay for it

Over the years Donald Trump has been one the biggest tennis fans in the world, and even though he is busy running for president of the United States, he has made some time to watch the action in Melbourne and has been commenting on the action.

The biggest story in the first week was the talk of match-fixing to which Trump replied "if it weren't for me, you wouldn't even be talking about match-fixing."

Trump was also disappointed by the first-round loss by Ivo Karlovic, cyring "the concept of the net was created by and for short players in order to make big serves non-competitive." Karlovic reportedly double-faulted six times in his match.

Trump also noted the struggles of the unseeded players in the men's draw. "When was the last time anybody saw them beating, let's say, Djokovic? I beat Djokovic all the time. All the time."

Trump even has a plan for stopping Djokovic. "I will build a great net - and nobody builds nets better than me, believe me - and I'll build them inexpensively. I will build a great great net in the middle of the court, and I will make Djokovic pay for that net. Mark my words." He didn't back down adding "The net will go up, and Djokovic will start behaving."

Meanwhile, Trump defended Nick Kyrgios, who has become one of the most controversial figures on tour. "You know, it really doesn't matter what the media write as long as you're young and beautiful."

The 2016 presidential candidate had some strong words for Benoit Paire after his first-round loss to a teenager. "When Paire sends the ball over the net, he's not sending his best shots. He's not sending you. He's sending shots that have lots of problems and they're bringing their problems with us. They're shanks. They're drop shots. They're lobs. And some, I assume, are good shots."

Trump then painted all the French with a broad brush, claiming "Laziness is a trait in the French... French people counting my money? I hate it!"

Trump has also been known to question the nationality of players on tour, demanding birth certificates from players such as Milos Raonic, Matt Ebden, and even his friend John McEnroe, who he claims should represent Germany.

The business mogul wasn't done, also taking a swipe at Juan Martin del Potro. "He's not a grand slam champion. He was a grand slam champion, but he got injured. I like people that weren't injured. Okay, I hate to tell you."

The man did have one positive note on American tennis though, bragging "We will have so much winning that you may get bored with winning."

Trump put on his coaching hat at the end of the interview, leaving everyone with one piece of advice. "When someone passes you, my advice is 'get even!' That is not typical advice, but it is real life advice. If you don't get even, you are just a schmuck!"

More Donald Trump Quotes
-"Think of how boring it would be to have easy draws and have everything be perfect. You can't prove your merit on quiet waters, whether you're a businessman or a tennis player."
-"A court without lines is not a court at all. We must have lines. The rule of law matters."
-"If Djokovic retires now, thereby doing a great service to every other tennis player - I will give him free lifetime golf at any one of my courses. "
-"Federer has won a lot of titles. Much more titles than all of them put together, and all of their phony wins put together - but you have to understand, I want to be Federer."
-"The Spaniards are going to get those titles and they are going to love Trump."
-"We're going to make Rod Laver great again."
-"My style of playing tennis is fairly simple. I just push, push, and push again."
-On Fabio Fognini: "I think we would get along very well."