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Nick Kyrgios had another mid-match meltdown on the tennis court, this time during the Stuttgart Open semifinal against Andy Murray. There was a lot of excitement for this match among tennis fans who were expecting a high-quality match, but the on-court controversy grabbed most headlines and social media reactions.
Murray clinched a closely-fought opening set in the tie-break, soon after which Kyrgios smashed his racquet multiple times in anger as he walked back to his chair. The Brit then broke Kyrgios' serve in the opening game of the second set, adding to the Aussie player's frustrations.
Kyrgios received a point penalty and a game penalty in quick succession for unsportsmanlike conduct to go 7-6(5), 2-0 down. Fans flocked to social media, reacting to the incident, while also congratulating Murray for another big win.
"If you're still saying a man who abuses officials and uses ableist slurs is 'good for tennis', i don't trust you," one fan wrote on Twitter.
Many other fans expressed their disappointment that the bitter incident overshadowed the prospect of a great battle between two very high quality players.
"One last Nick Kyrgios FH into net seals a 7-6(5) 6-2 loss to Andy Murray in Stuttgart semi-finals. Tennis will get its usual spike in media coverage tomorrow for the wrong reasons. It's a shame because this match had everyone excited for the right reasons but ends predictably," one user tweeted.
"Good for sport in general and for tennis in particular. Good for Andy Murray what left in the way a tennis player like Nick Kyrgios who mistreats the discipline with his hysterical outbursts, histrionic poses and lack of respect for his opponents (translated)," another fan expressed.
For a long time, Kyrgios has been considered one of the most talented players on tour. He has not been able to translate his talent into great success at the Grand Slam level on a consistent basis and some fans lamented his on-court outburst and his inability to overcome tough moments during matches.
"Nick Kyrgios and Dennis Shapovalov do have great potential for grand slams, yet they throw them away," said another tweet.
After the game-penalty, the Australian player could not fightback as Murray comfortably closed out the set and thus the match 7-6(5), 6-2.
Nick Kyrgios speaks out against abuse from spectators during the match
Soon after the match, Nick Kyrgios took to social media to share his thoughts on the match and the controversy surrounding it. The Australian revealed that he faced racial abuse from certain sections of the crowd and spoke out against the same.
"When is this going to stop? Dealing with racial slurs from the crowd?" Kyrgios said in a message on Instagram.
He admitted that his behaviour during matches can certainly improve, before further slamming those who continue to abuse players during matches.
Barring the incident during the semifinals, Kyrgios had a good week at the Stuttgart Open. He produced strong performances in the three matches leading up to the last-four stage, defeating the likes of Nikoloz Basilashvili and Marton Fucsovics in the previous two rounds.
The World No. 78 will aim to regroup and perform at the upcoming Wimbledon Championships, where he had his joint-best result at a Grand Slam by reaching the quarterfinals in 2014.
