[imagesource: Geoff Burke / USA TODAY Sports]
At what point will Nick Kyrgios’ theatrics become entirely tiresome?
Right now, methinks.
His Ben Stiller quip at the Indian Wells tournament in Indian Wells, California was actually rather amusing, but he’s in the news more these days for his on-court meltdowns than for his on-court victories.
We can now add his fourth-round loss to Jannik Sinner at the Miami Open to a lengthening list of embarrassing defeats, complete with all the usual moaning and racquet smashing.
During his 7-6, 6-3 defeat to the Italian, Kyrgios repeatedly abused chair umpire Carlos Bernardes.
This via Metro:
Kyrgios had issues with the surface, suggesting it was too slow, and also complained about the volume of Bernandes’ walkie-talkie.
‘Unbelievable!’ he shouted in the first set during a change of ends. ‘Miami – one of the biggest tournaments – and you guys can’t do your jobs. It’s embarrassing!
‘He should be fired on the spot. Get a new set of referees, these guys don’t know how to do s***. It’s a joke.
‘Get rid of every single staff and start over. Everything. I will run the sport.
Fair play to Bernardes who keeps his cool throughout the verbal barrage:
Nick Kyrgios being Nick Kyrgios at the Miami open pic.twitter.com/xbCJuXNlpT
— T. Joseph Clarke (@Taylortc12) March 29, 2022
After another exchange, Kyrgios really lost the plot:
I can officially say I’ve captured a Kyrgios meltdown in person
#MiamiOpen pic.twitter.com/N3dAhjWuxF
— Joe Malfa (@MalfaJ98) March 29, 2022
It’s quite telling that witnessing a Kyrgios meltdown in person is now a tickable achievement.
A second angle, please:
Nick Kyrgios loses it after receiving a point violation for unsportsmanlike conduct at the Miami open pic.twitter.com/XCQPDydPpe
— T. Joseph Clarke (@Taylortc12) March 29, 2022
All the while, Sinner, ranked 102nd in the world, kept his cool and marched to victory.
After the match, Kyrgios took to Twitter to vent further:
‘You could do the job of the umpire’ – what was said to my best friend that got me ‘unsportsmanlike code violation’ at 5-3 in the first set tie break. With 100 of thousands of dollars on the line that was the decision he made because the umpires ‘feelings got hurt. GET NEW PEOPLE
— Nicholas Kyrgios (@NickKyrgios) March 29, 2022
Don’t get it twisted. I got mad respect for @janniksin
he is one of my favourite players and he was TOO GOOD. I am aiming all of this at an umpire who clearly ISNT GOOD ENOUGH to be doing these matches. Nothing but a slap on the wrist for him right? What a joke.
— Nicholas Kyrgios (@NickKyrgios) March 30, 2022
No racquets were harmed in the making of those tweets.
Finally, here’s a full breakdown of all the controversy from the match:
[source:metro]
