Even returning to the place where he won his first ATP title can’t prevent Nick Kyrgios from making the headlines for the wrong reasons.
The world No.16 has hit out of officials on Saturday after losing his semifinal match to Jo-Wilfried Tsonga at the Open 13 in Marseille. Kyrgios has accused the umpire of being bias after he wasn’t allowed to challenge a call because it was ‘too late’. Under official rules, players are required to challenge calls automatically.
“I’ve seen referees wait 5-6 seconds after the ball’s gone out,” Kyrgios said.
“For them it’s ok but when I do it once, it’s not ok. You guys are biased as s***.”
The call occurred in the first set when Kyrgios was leading 5-4 before dropping it in a tiebreaker.
It is just the latest in a long string of incidents involving Kyrgios. In 2014 he was accused of tanking against Richard Gasquet, after moving towards his chair before a serve had even been struck at one point.
He was also fined for making inappropriate comments in a match against Stan Wawrinka relating to Wawrinka’s personal life at the 2015 Rogers Cup. At the Shanghai Rolex Masters last season he was accused of lacking effort in a match where he was soundly thrashed by Mischa Zverev. This resulted in a fine and a suspension that ruled Kyrgios out of competing in any further matches in 2016.
Kyrgios is also known for being a passionate basketball player, and has been invited to shoot hoops with pro teams including the Sydney Kings.
Kyrgios’ actions have drawn consistent condemnation from the tennis community including from the likes of John McEnroe and Patrick Rafter, whilst current Australian Davis Cup Captain Lleyton Hewitt continues to select the volatile player.
Given Kyrgios’ history, should the ATP decide to take action for Kyrgios’ use of inappropriate language, he may face another ban.
Krygios is in action at the Acapulco Mexican Open next week, where he is likely to be seeded.
- Additional reporting by Adam Addicott
