"Beyond ridiculous": Kyrgios slammed for finals fireworks
Nick Kyrgios has come under fire for his behaviour during the nerve wrecking Wimbledon final against Novak Djokovic, which Aussie tennis great Rennae Stubbs described as “embarrassing”.
After winning the first set, Kyrgios was on the backfoot during the second and third, with Djokovic winning 4-6 6-3 6-4 7-6 and claiming the title for the seventh time.
😘🏆2️⃣1️⃣🙏🏼 #Wimbledon pic.twitter.com/Zo8PAScQzJ
— Novak Djokovic (@DjokerNole) July 10, 2022
As his odds of winning began to decline, Kyrgios directed his frustrations at the player box where his girlfriend, dad, sister and trainers were sitting.
When he dropped the serve for the first time during the second set of the fourth game, Kyrgios began questioning why he was having to ask his player box to support him.
“Say something,” he yelled in their direction later in the set. “You said nothing that whole point.
“Why do you stop? 40-0, 40-15 and you just relax! Why?”
His supporters weren’t the only subjects of his furore either, after Kyrgios was slapped with a code violation for complaining to the chair umpire about fans distracting him while on serve, including a drunk audience member he asked the umpire to kick out.
“They’re distracting me when I’m serving in a Wimbledon final, she’s drunk out of her mind,” he said while closing out his service game.
“Why is she still here? She’s drunk out of her mind in the first row, speaking to me in the middle of a game. What’s acceptable? Nothing is acceptable? So kick her out!
“I know exactly which one it is, it’s the one that looks like she’s had 700 drinks bro.”
No-one was ejected from the court, but plenty had something to say about Kyrgios’ behaviour, including Stubbs.
“Honestly, this behaviour of yelling at your box because they aren’t doing what u want, is actually beyond ridiculous,” she tweeted.
“THEY CAN’T READ YOUR MIND! Yes this is his way of dealing with pressure, I get it but this is straight up constant abuse to people that love you, it’s embarrassing.”
Sports journalist Andy Maher wrote: “You’d have to be a sucker for punishment to accept an invitation to sit in Kyrgios’ box.”
“If Nick Kyrgios offered you a spot in his player’s box you’d have to say ‘no’. All that stress and abuse; worst seat in the house,” journalist Bruce Guthrie said.
If Nick Kyrgios offered you a spot in his player’s box you’d have to say ‘no’. All that stress and abuse; worst seat in the house. #WimbledonFinal
— Bruce Guthrie (@brucerguthrie) July 10, 2022
“Kyrgios’ players box has the toughest job in sports,” American basketball player Nate Wolters added.
Kyrgios has acknowledged how supportive his team has been throughout the tournament and that they put up with a lot from him during matches.
“I’ve got an incredible support crew,” he said after the fourth round. “My physio is one of my best friends. My best friend is my agent. I’ve got the best girlfriend in the world. I’ve just got so many people around me, they just support me.
“I feel like I can reflect on all those dark times when I pushed them all away. Now to sit here, quarterfinals of Wimbledon, feeling good, feeling composed, feeling mature, having that around me, I’m extremely blessed. I feel like I’m just comfortable in my skin.”
Following his defeat, he described Djokovic as “a bit of a god”.
“I want to congratulate Novak,” Kyrgios said.
“To all the ball kids and umpires, I know we have tough relationships, thanks for putting up with it.”
Image: Getty Images