RIGHT-WING journalist Julia Hartley-Brewer has sparked an online backlash after attacking Andy Murray over comments about Nigel Farage.

The talkRADIO presenter told the Scot to “stick to tennis” after he suggested Farage was a hypocrite.

The spat began after Farage posted a video with Novak Djokovic’s family in Belgrade. The former Ukip and Brexit Party leader has condemned the Australian government’s treatment of the world number one.

The Serb was detained at an immigration facility in Melbourne on Thursday morning after his visa was cancelled following scrutiny of the medical exemption he had secured to travel to the Australian Open. It was announced overnight that Djokovic has won an appeal against a decision to refuse him a visa in the Federal Circuit Court of Australia.

After Farage posted a video of himself with Djokovic’s family in Belgrade, Murray tweeted: “Please record the awkward moment when you tell them you’ve spent most of your career campaigning to have people from Eastern Europe deported.”

The Brexiteer responded to Murray by telling him to "concentrate on the tennis" and "crack a smile every now and again".

The comment was swiftly dismissed by the Scot.

Hartley-Brewer also criticised Murray, posting: “What an extraordinary – and factually wrong – tweet from @andy_murray. Nigel Farage simply campaigned for control of our borders – and the majority of voters agree with him. Stick to the tennis, mate.”

READ MORE: 5 times Andy Murray proved he shouldn't just 'stick to tennis'

However, Twitter users were quick to stand up for Murray, pointing to Farage’s previous comments about eastern Europeans.

In 2014, then then-Ukip leader refused to back down after saying people would be right to be concerned if Romanians moved in next door.

The following year, Farage said he would favour immigrants from some countries over others. “I have to confess I do have a slight preference," he told the BBC. "I do think, naturally, that people from India and Australia are in some ways more likely to speak English, understand common law and have a connection with this country than some people that come perhaps from countries that haven’t fully recovered from being behind the iron curtain.”

Hartley-Brewer’s tweet prompted a deluge of responses. “Stunning. Do you think she sees the irony of telling a tennis player to stick to tennis, whilst defending a failed politician for sticking his nose in on tennis?” one person asked.

“To be fair, if there is one area where Julia has expertise, it’s being factually wrong,” another wrote.

The right-wing pundit was also accused of being “rattled” because “Andy had the bottle to call Farage out”.

READ MORE: Andy Murray serves up brutal takedown of Nigel Farage amid Djokovic row

A further comment read: “That’s a bit rich coming from someone who earns their living discussing a wide range of subjects/topics they often have little if any experience in.”

Aside from the talkRADIO host’s response, Murray’s tweet was largely met with praise.

Fellow tennis legend Martina Navratilova described his tweet as "perfect", adding: "Bravo Andy!"

Speaking to reporters on Sunday, Murray expressed concern for Djokovic and said his predicament is “really not good for tennis at all”.

“I think everyone is shocked by it, to be honest,” five-time Australian Open finalist Murray stated.

“I’m going to say two things on it just now. The first thing is that I hope that Novak is OK. I know him well, and I’ve always had a good relationship with him and I hope that he’s OK.

“The second thing, it’s really not good for tennis at all, and I don’t think it’s good for anyone involved. I think it’s really bad.”