Calls for an ATP suspension for Nick Kyrgios are piling up again after the Australian was eliminated from a third consecutive US tournament in an ugly meltdown.
The Australian fireblight got Fine totaling $60,000 ($80,000) after recently losing at Indian Wells and Miami, he could face even more penalties after losing a seal in the semifinals of the US Men’s Clay Court Championships.
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Kyrgios’ surprise run on his least favorite surface came to an explosive end after a 6-3, 7-5 loss to American giants Reilly Opelka.
The 26-year-old eventually lost his cool and was awarded a point for a second audible profanity that cost him a crucial game towards the end of a tight second set.
Kyrgios may have had some justification for his rants after referee Joshua Brace admitted he blundered a call at 5-5 in the second set of the game.
But after the crucial point that left the score at 30-30, Kyrgios completely lost action, losing the next point with a deflected error and, after receiving his second warning for more swearing on the pitch, was docked for the point, which cost him the game down at break point.
He was lucky not to earn another penalty potentially losing the game and the match as he continued to yell loud profanities as he walked back to his seat for the change.
There, he continued to address the officer, muttering, “F***! what don’t you call it It’s an absolute joke.”
During the exchange, the visibly nervous Brace admitted: “I believe it now, I made a mistake.”
It wasn’t the first debate the pair had had over the incident, as Opelka’s return appeared to go past the baseline at 30-15 but was not called out when Kyrgios lost the point.
“If it’s out then I’ve missed it,” said the referee, leaving Kyrgios to tell him sarcastically, “Well, congratulations…”
Tennis fans slam Nick Kyrgios after collapsing again
While many tennis fans have acknowledged that Kyrgios may have had some bad calls against him, the consensus is that his way of dealing with such adversity is simply unacceptable.
After the recent meltdown in Houston, many fans again called on the governing body of men’s tennis – the ATP – to crack down on the serial killer.
Warning: The following video contains profanity
The sadness was once again that Kyrgios, who otherwise had a good US swing beyond those racquet-smashing and scolding sideshows, had fought brilliantly on his least favorite clay surface to get back into the match against the hard-hitting 211cm Opelka.
Kyrgios, who was attempting to reach his first ATP Finals since Washington in 2019, previously appeared quite upset, muttering aloud to himself at a switch: “F***** Energy is useless this morning!” Useless!”
Opelka had dropped just four points behind his massive serve in the opening set and when Kyrgios got broken again midway through the second set there seemed no going back.
Typically, however, the Aussie outsider found some of his best forms to retire and he seemed to have held the upper hand until the point of collapse.
Opelka, perfectly calm amidst all the nonsense, went up 6-5, serving three aces and sealing the win in 69 minutes by securing a place in the final against fellow countryman John Isner or Chilean Cristian Garin.
When it was all over, Kyrgios still couldn’t stop himself. “Are you feeling bad?” he asked Brace. “I don’t think you feel bad.”
with AAP
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