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Nick Kyrgios faced backlash over his remarks on tennis icons Rafael Nadal and Andy Murray's retirement. In other news, Carlos Alcaraz came under fire for his comments regarding faster court speed following his third-round exit at the Paris Masters.
Meanwhile, WTA drew criticism over a controversial poll about Saudi Arabia’s debut year-end Finals. Karen Khachanov condemned Ugo Humbert’s high-spirited celebrations during the Paris Masters semifinal despite the Russian's injury woes.
Also, a tennis insider advised Andrey Rublev to seek psychological support after the Russian's knee injury from an angry outburst during the Paris Masters.
On that note, here's a recap of the top controversies from last week:
Nick Kyrgios sparked outrage with remarks on Rafael Nadal and Andy Murray’s retirement
Nick Kyrgios has been heavily criticized for his comments regarding his desire to avoid retiring in the same way as renowned tennis players Andy Murray and Rafael Nadal.
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Kyrgios suggested that both Murray and Nadal did not exit the sport with "grace." Murray retired after the Paris Olympics in August due to injuries and inconsistency, while Nadal plans to retire after the Davis Cup Finals, also due to injuries.
In his recent appearance on The Louis Theroux Podcast, the Australian tennis star shared that he hopes to avoid a similar retirement path, noting that, in his view, Murray and Nadal seemed to have struggled and endured pain toward the later stages of their careers.
"I look at how Andy Murray's doing it now, and how Rafa Nadal is going out, I don't want to be like that either. I don't want to be kind of crawling to the finish line in a sense,” Kyrgios said.
"You deserve to go out, I think, a little bit more gracefully than he's done," he added.
Carlos Alcaraz faced backlash for complaining about fast courts after the Paris Masters 3R exit
Carlos Alcaraz faced criticism for his remarks on the quick pace of the hard courts at the 2024 Paris Masters after his 1-6, 6-3, 5-7 defeat to eventual finalist Ugo Humbert in the third round.
Following the loss, Alcaraz voiced his disappointment about the court speed in Paris, expressing surprise at how fast they were and questioning the rationale behind such a setup.
"When I played the first match, the stats came out that it is the fastest court in the Masters 1000, probably on the tour right now. This is crazy. I don't know. Probably and the fastest one, you know, in the last ten years in this tournament."
He added:
"I don't know why they do it. So it surprise me a little bit, so I came here with not too many days. Probably I had to come earlier to get used to these conditions but I didn't. But, you know, honestly all I can say is I don't understand why they did it," he added.
World No. 2 Carlos Alcaraz will next be in action at the 2024 ATP Finals, taking place in Turin, Italy, from November 10 to 17.
WTA came under fire for controversial poll promoting Saudi Arabia’s first year-end Finals
The WTA faced criticism after posting a poll about the first WTA Finals in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, which will run from November 2 to 9 at King Saud University Arena.
The decision to host in Saudi Arabia has sparked controversy due to the country’s restrictive laws on women and LGBTQ rights. On Wednesday, the WTA added to the backlash by posting a survey on their website, inviting fans to choose from options they believe justify the organization’s move.
Here's the poll:
How would you best describe the WTA Finals coming to Saudi Arabia for the first time?
- A historic milestone for women's sports
- A thrilling opportunity to expand the game
- A unique chance for WTA to make more money
- A landmark moment for tennis diversity
Karen Khachanov called out Ugo Humbert for excessive celebrations during Paris Masters SF despite the Russian's injury
Karen Khachanov spoke out about his heated exchange with Ugo Humbert following the Russian's 7-6(6), 4-6, 3-6 defeat in the 2024 Paris Masters semifinals.
Khachanov, who took a medical timeout for a leg injury in the third set, struggled in the final two games. Despite this, Humbert celebrated exuberantly with the home crowd at every point. Post-match, Khachanov, and Humbert had a tense moment during the handshake at the net.
Watch the video here:
In an interview with Ziggo Sport, Khachanov stated that he asked the French tennis star to demonstrate more respect.
"I told him at the net to show more respect. He has no idea how to behave. I always fair play. I will congratulate him if he behaves like a normal person. That’s all I can say."
The Russian tennis star also expressed his frustration with Humbert's habit of "jumping and screaming" after each point, especially considering his injury.
"You can be with the crowd. I have no problem with that. Did you see me celebrate yesterday? Grigor was exhausted. He wasn’t injured at the end, he told me. Did you see me jumping and screaming 'Come on! Allez!' After every point.. do you think it’s okay?"
He added:
"You can celebrate after with the crowd no problem. You can do whatever you want. But while you see injuries are part of the game to do it while you see the guy is on the ground? Okay, see you next time."
15th seed Ugo Humbert went on to reach his maiden Masters 1000 final, where he lost 2-6, 2-6 to third seed Alexander Zverev.
Tennis insider recommended Andrey Rublev to get psychological assistance after injuring his knee in anger during the Paris Masters
Tennis journalist Jon Wertheim has raised alarm over Andrey Rublev's erratic behavior, which resulted in the latter injuring his knee during his 6-7(6), 6-7(5) loss to Francisco Cerundolo in the second round of the 2024 Paris Masters.
In the second set, the Russian tennis star struck his knee repeatedly with his racket, causing it to bleed. This incident is just one of several similar outbursts Rublev has had this season.
Wertheim retweeted a clip of the incident, noting that it underscored the need for psychological support for the Russian player. He also suggested that changes should be made to the ATP code of conduct.
"This is gone from tennis meme to source of serious concern....This obviously goes deep and begs for sports psychology. But if the @atptour code of conduct treated this as harm/abuse - and not self-harm/abuse - maybe there's at least some scoreboard deterrent?"
Andrey Rublev will next be in action at the Moselle Open in Metz, France, as a top seed. The Russian tennis star received a bye into the second round, where he will take on either Facundo Diaz Acosta or Lorenzo Sonego for a spot in the quarterfinals.
What is the foot injury that has troubled Rafael Nadal over the years? Check here
