‘I want to be remembered as someone who just did it their way,’ Nick Kyrgios told Brisbane’s Courier Mail, ‘never conformed to these rules that society or the tennis world wants you to fit in.’
Maverick. Individualist. Free spirit. Unorthodox. All labels that can be placed around Kyrgios’ neck.
And for a long time they were remarks used in the pejorative sense. A supreme talent wasting his gift. Why is he not training more? Why is he not playing more? Why has he never made it past a Grand Slam quarter-final? Why does he insist on all the histrionics? Why doesn’t he love the sport like many less talented players on Tour? Why, why, why.
For many, least of all Kyrgios himself, reaching a Wimbledon final, where he will take on 20-time Grand Slam champion Novak Djokovic on Centre Court, was a day they never thought would come.
It was only three years ago at the Australian Open when the noise, scrutiny, pressure and anxiety penetrated Kyrgios’ psyche and pushed him to the brink of suicide.
‘This was me three years ago at the Australian Open,’ Kyrgios began a remarkable confession on Instagram, sharing a picture, before he played Rafael Nadal in Melbourne.
Nick Kyrgios has gone from a fun-loving kid from Canberra to a Wimbledon finalist for the first time in his tennis career
The outspoken Australian has battled against mental health problems and use of drugs and drink to reach a Grand Slam final
‘Most would assume I was doing OK mentally or enjoying my life… it was one of my darkest periods. If you look closely, on my right arm you can see my self harm.
‘I was having suicidal thoughts and was literally struggling to get out of bed, let alone play in front of millions. I was lonely, depressed, negative, abusing alcohol, drugs, pushed away family & friends. I felt as if I couldn’t talk or trust anyone.
‘This was a result of not opening up and refusing to lean on my loved ones and simply just push myself little by little to be positive.’
Kyrgios, for all his faults, is a dedicated family man and often reduces his time spent on the tennis tour to be close to dad George and mum, Nill.
But three years ago he was spent, exhausted, out of ideas and out of energy.
‘I’m proud to say I’ve completely turned myself around,’ he added, ‘and have a completely different outlook on everything. I don’t take one moment for granted. I want you to be able to reach your full potential and smile. This life is beautiful.’
Kyrgios’ life, from his upbringing in Canberra to living in a $1.6million penthouse in Kensington, Sydney, with influencer girlfriend Costeen Hatzi, has been in stark contrast to the privilege bestowed on many who run the show on the ATP Tour.
Kyrgios is a dedicated family man and he is very close with his mother Nill (left), who once held a royal title as a princess back in her native home of Malaysia
Kyrgios was born in Canberra on April 27, 1995, as the third child to Greek father Giorgios, a self-employed house painter that moved to Australia as a teenager, and Malaysian mother Norlaila, affectionately known as Nill.
Giorgios, who goes by George, is an ever-present in his son’s box throughout the tennis season but his mother, due to a cocktail of anxiety and ill-health has stayed away from Kyrgios’ matches for years now.
His mother was born into the Selangor royal family in Malaysia, a qualifying royal through the cousin of her grandfather – the Sultan of Pahang.
That made Norlaila the Tengku of Pahang, which is closely translated to make her the princess of the Pahang state.
It was not until moving to Australia in her twenties, where she went on to become a computer engineer before raising three children, did she drop her royal title.
The couple settled and married in 1988, going on to have son Christos, daughter Halilah and lastly, tennis supremo Nick.
Family is central to who Kyrgios is as a person – even when he is seen barking at them for not celebrating or supporting him as he wants them to.
Take September 2021 when Kyrgios chose to pull out of every tournament remaining in that year to spend time at home with his mother.
She was ill, facing severe problems with her kidneys, and having been left scarred by the death of his grandmother, Julianah Foster, in 2014. Kyrgios, to some controversially so, has tennis far down his list of priorities.
‘The week she passed away, I was supposed to go see her with Mum but I was pretty busy,’ Kyrgios, speaking candidly in 2015 after the passing of 74-year-old Julianah, said.
‘I just didn’t get to see her as much as I would have liked in the end. But I’m sure I could have just got a day off to see her. That’s what will live with me.’
So, as his mother battles her own health complications – she is hopeful of securing a kidney transplant from husband George if they are a match – Kyrgios often chooses to spend as much time as possible with family to ensure the regrets he holds towards his grandmother are not repeated.
Nill (right) and his father George (left) urged Kyrgios to focus on tennis, rather than basketball, when he was a youngster
Kyrgios (in yellow) is the couple’s third – and youngest – child, following his older brother Christos and sister Halilah (both left)
‘I haven’t watched him play for a while, actually,’ Nill said when asked why she struggles to watch her son play.
‘I can’t expose myself to that anxiety. I go into a really strange panic… It actually got to a stage where I sought help. I was seeing a psychologist for six months. I was not in a good place. My anxiety level watching Nick was so high.’
Kyrgios has always had a particularly close relationship with his siblings, a portrayal that is far from the ‘evil’ that beaten third round opponent Stefanos Tsitsipas spoke up about last week.
It was after another win at Wimbledon in the last fortnight when Kyrgios, back in his hotel room with girlfriend Hatzi, were on FaceTime to his older brother Christos following the birth of his first child, son George Onyx Kyrgios.
Christos, and three-time world champion fitness model partner Alicia Gowans, have wanted to start a family for years and now Kyrgios could couple becoming an uncle with becoming a Grand Slam champion in a matter of days.
Christos is a sports coach that has also been tasked with being the part-time CEO of NK Foundation, the tennis star’s foundational arm.
His sister Halimah, 33, rose to prominence on The Voice Australia and it was Halimah who reflected on a side of Kyrgios that, until he went public with his struggles with self-harm and suicidal thoughts, many rarely get to see.
‘Life is too short,’ she told the Herald Sun. ‘Sometimes he suffers a lot of anxiety from the pressure. It’s a really tough industry and you’re basically hotel hopping for a whole year.
‘You have to be tough on the tennis tour.’
Kyrgios, win or lose, divides opinion at home and away.
Kyrgios is now loved up with Aussie Instagram influencer Costeen Hatzi, pictured here with Kyrgios outside a helicopter
The pair have swapped Canberra for Sydney and she is playing a key role in helping turn his life around to become a champion
The Aussie, who was out of shape as a child in his early years studying at Radford College, saw his his picture temporarily removed from the school’s Hall of Fame due to his on-court antics back in 2015. Even his own high school briefly put some distance to their greatest sporting talent.
Kyrgios was said to be popular at school, a teller of jokes and a fun-spirited personality.
It was basketball that stole his heart first, not tennis, and were it not for the intervention of dad George and mum Nill, he may never have found his path to Grand Slam supremacy at Wimbledon.
‘I should have listened to my parents as a child,’ Kyrgios previously said.
‘I wish I’d done that. When I was 14, they said I couldn’t play basketball anymore. It still hurts my heart. It was very hard for me to leave it to concentrate on tennis. I love basketball.’
It quickly proved an investment well made when Kyrgios raced to become world No 1 in the juniors.
Kyrgios, a lover of team sports, has always been fond of doubles and quickly tasted success when, along with Andrew Harris, he won the French Open boys’ doubles in 2012; weeks later that was followed by the Wimbledon boys’ doubles.
A year later he won the Australian Open boys singles’ title and defended his Wimbledon boys’ doubles title with childhood friend Thanasi Kokkinakis.
He puts in a lot of hours on the basketball court and finds it as a source of ‘meditation’ for him at a rec centre in Sydney
Kyrgios is the bad boy of tennis to many critics but he says he ‘does what he wants’ and now he is a match away from glory
Kyrgios, who worked tirelessly to get in shape and become a consummate athlete, knew early that he had the tools to become a star. In 2014, at the age of 19, Kyrgios stunned Nadal in the last-16 of Wimbledon to reach his first Grand Slam quarter-final. He had put the tennis world on notice.
Typically, tennis players spend hours upon hours out on court, perfecting forehands, backhands and their serve in a bid to close the gap to the world No 1.
But for Kyrgios, that is just something he is not willing to do. It’s a routine that doesn’t work for him, as it does for Nadal or Djokovic.
Basketball, he claims, is his ‘meditation’ space.
A die-hard fan of NBA franchise Boston Celtics, Kyrgios has worked his new-look routine around the basketball, rather than tennis, court and it is paying off handsomely at Wimbledon.
His second home has become the KGV Recreation Centre in The Rocks, Sydney, since he swapped Canberra for the Harbour City, and users of the gym point to how it is often the tennis player with more than 2.4 million Instagram followers that is the one instigating pick-up games and scrimmages via WhatsApp.
Aspiring basketballer Anthony Mundine III, former US college star Chol Adup, Sydney Kings guard Biwali Bayles and fellow tennis star Kokkinakis, who is a doubles champion along with childhood friend Kyrgios, are among those he plays with on a regular basis.
Kyrgios’s routine? Think two hours of basketball, an hour of tennis and some gym work. It is a formula that, while unorthodox, is working for the big-serving Aussie.
And if Kyrgios has shown anything it is that reps on a tennis court, for a player that boasts his ability, is not the be-all-and-end-all.
Take his now departed semi-final opponent Nadal. The Spaniard has played 33 singles matches this year prior to arriving at Wimbledon and he has yet to lose at a Grand Slam.
Then look at Kyrgios, who arrived at Wimbledon having played just 13 singles matches. As Nadal’s body wilted, Kyrgios looks to be in the form and fitness of his career.
So, back to the basketball. It was a topic that came up after he was labelled ‘evil’ and a ‘bully’ by defeated third round opponent Tsitsipas.
After a thriller beating Stefanos Tsitsipas (left) in the third round, Kyrgios (right) labelled the Greek star soft and said he poses nothing close to the level of competition he faces on the basketball court. Tsitsipas scalded the Aussie as ‘evil’ and a ‘bully’
Kyrgios opened up recently to say that he has thrown matches in the past if his favourite basketball team had lost their match
It had been an ill-tempered match that was the contest of the tournament so far. Tsitsipas despises Kyrgios and his comments showed. What they told Kyrgios was that the Greek player is not close to the competitor he is used to facing on the parquet floor of the Rec centre.
‘When I’m back home and you see me every day and who I’m competing with on the basketball court, these guys are dogs,’ he said.
‘He’s (Tsitsipas) just soft. To come in here and say I bullied him, that’s just soft.
‘We’re not cut from the same cloth. I go up against guys who are true competitors.’
Right now at SW19, all eyes are on Kyrgios, both for his antics on and off the court. He is the biggest headliner, even compared to fellow finalist Djokovic.
On that court in the KGV Recreation Centre, though, he’s just Nick, the guy who loves to play basketball and the guy who dotes on his parents and his sibling. Just Nick.
‘When I first saw him, I thought, ‘This bloke can’t be serious, he’s a tennis player, not a basketball player’,’ Adup told the Sydney Morning Herald .
‘But he’s actually pretty good at basketball. Me and Nick we fight all the time, man. What Nick is seeing from other people at Wimbledon is nothing compared to KGV, man. If people see what we do on campus, they would be shocked.
‘Nick is not the bully. I’m the bully. When Nick’s around us, bro, the amount of stuff we say to him… we go hard at him.
‘Some people might want to be cool with Nick and not go at him because he’s famous. But for us it’s different. We trash talk him. We don’t sit back because he’s the big dog.
‘When he’s there he’s not the big dog because we go at each other. None of us care that he’s Nick Kyrgios. We know who he is, but on the court to me everyone is the same.’
Just when Kyrgios appears human and relatable, a guy who loves basketball and wants to improve to emulate his heroes such as Celtics forward Jayson Tatum, he openly reveals he has thrown matches in the past while sulking over NBA results.
Unfortunately for his rivals, the NBA season is currently over and done with until October.
‘I’ve literally thrown tennis matches if they’ve lost in like, double overtime,’ he told the Tennis Channel after the third round win over Tsitsipas.
Older brother Christos (left) is incredibly protective of Nick (right) and helps him run the Nick Kyrgios foundation part-time
‘If someone plays me and they know the Celtics have lost, that’s your chance. That is for sure your chance, to play me on that day. Unlucky for Stef, the [NBA] season is over.’
Kyrgios’ style is abrasive to some and incredibly likeable to others.
One Mail columnist described him as the ‘most cretinous player’ of all of Wimbledon. Others have hailed the attention he brings to tennis.
‘Nasty Nick’, as some have coined, has a history of on-court meltdowns that have plagued him and teed up a reputation that often precedes his immense talent.
In his first round match against Brit Paul Jubb, the Aussie called one line judge ‘a snitch with no fans’ for reporting his abuse and suggested another was in his 90s and ‘can’t see the ball’.
After winning the five-set epic, he spat in the general direction of a spectator that had been heckling him.
Outbursts pockmark his progress and always feel like they keep him close to the edge of explosion.
He once threw a tantrum over not having a white towel at the 2019 Rogers Cup, chucked a chair onto the court while losing to Novak Djokovic at the Italian Open in that same year, and threw a tennis racket in the direction of a ball boy at Indian Wells in March 2022.
The rap-sheet continues: Kyrgios once branded fellow Aussie Bernard Tomic ‘dumb’ and ‘irrelevant’, before telling Swiss Grand Slam champion Stan Wawrinka during play that his friend had ‘banged your girlfriend, mate’, earning him a £10,000 fine and 28-day suspension from play in 2015.
Donna Vekic, a Croatian professional tennis player, was then dating Wawrinka, who was left furious.
‘So disappointing to see a fellow athlete and colleague be so disrespectful in a way I could never even imagine,’ Wawrinka tweeted.
His brother claimed Wawrinka confronted Kyrgios in the locker room and it was ‘lucky’ they weren’t pressing charges, before deleting the Facebook post.
Kyrgios is viewed much like John McEnroe was in his heyday. A furious and scrupulous player that becomes energised by playing on the edge.
Only this week scrutiny is as much on what Kyrgios is doing off the court as he is on it.
An assault charge, involving his ex-girlfriend Chiara Passari, arrived during this Wimbledon run, but to Kyrgios will not have come as a surprise.
Kyrgios, who is due to appear ACT Magistrates Court on August 2, allegedly grabbed Ms Passari, his model ex-girlfriend, in late 2021.
‘Haters and liars will always try bring us down – we keep it 100 and push forward,’ Kyrgios’s brother Christos wrote furiously on Instagram.
The charge against Kyrgios carries a maximum sentence of two years in prison.
Kyrgios (right) is facing allegations of an alleged assault against Chiara Passari (left) which will be heard in court in August
Hatzi (left) has been described as the best girlfriend in the world by Kyrgios and he has said how he is ‘obsessed’ with her
It proved a ‘toxic’ relationship between Kyrgios and Passari, who was pictured spending time with the tennis star’s family during their brief romance.
They began dating in July 2020 but split following an argument in October that year which led to a police visit at their hotel in Adelaide, Australia.
The argument centred on Passari accusing Kyrgios of cheating in an Instagram post. Kyrgios flatly denied claims of cheating at the time.
Now, as the assault charge hangs over him, he has a new girlfriend in his player box: 22-year-old social media influencer Costeen Hatzi.
Hatzi, who he describes as the ‘best girlfriend in the world’, deserves credit for righting the Kyrgios ship, along with his close-knit entourage, just as it appeared to be veering off course once more.
Will Maher, one of Kyrgios’ closest friends, is his full-time physiotherapist. John Morris, his agent, is another member of the Kyrgios family that scouted him back in 2010 and has worked with him since 2012.
Key to his recent turnaround – which still includes blockbuster outbursts on court and rule-flouting off it after he broke Wimbledon’s dress code to wear his red Jordan sneakers – has been swapping Canberra for Sydney with Hatzi, a prospect few saw coming given he once vowed he would never move there.
The pair’s $1.6million Kensington penthouse is a perfect recluse for when he wants to turn his back on the tennis tour – something he has done ahead of Wimbledon for years by skipping the French Open for the past five years.
‘Roland Garros should simply be removed from the calendar. It’s the worst Grand Slam I’ve ever seen,’ he said last year on the No Boundaries Podcast.
It speaks volumes that Kyrgios will end his five-year hiatus from the Paris slam next year so girlfriend Hatzi can tick Paris off her bucket list.
This fortnight has been a career best run at a Slam for Kyrgios and now he faces the prospect of breaking his Grand Slam duck
It was supposed to be Nadal, the player he stunned in four sets back in 2014 as an unfancied 19-year-old and the player he overlooked enough to go out drinking in a Wimbledon pub until 4am before they met at the All England Club in 2019, next, only for the Spaniard to be forced to withdraw.
Nadal slogged his way through a tough five-setter against Taylor Fritz but an abdominal injury ended his chances of a calendar Grand Slam a day later. Now comes Novak Djokovic.
There has never been a better chance presented to Kyrgios to win his maiden slam – and routes to getting them do not have to be conventional to the tennis community – just ask Emma Raducanu.
Dad George will be there watching on, as will sister Halilah and girlfriend Costeen.
Radford College may need to make some more room on their Hall of Fame wall if he can navigate one more match at Wimbledon to win it all.
Demanding a BEER on court, mimicking a sex act, trying to hit Rafael Nadal and partying ahead of a Wimbledon exit… Nick Kyrgios’ most outrageous moments both on and off the court after calling an umpire ‘an absolute CLOWN’
By Charlotte Daly for MailOnline
Slating the music at the Australian Open in 2016
The 2016 Australian Open was a bit of a disaster for Kyrgios. He complained about the music, swore excessively and threw his racket across the court during his loss to Tomas Berdych.
Berdych took the first set in 35 minutes, with Kyrgios appearing to complain towards his box – which contained Aussie great Lleyton Hewitt – that there was not enough vocal encouragement.
However, the most notable moment of the match came when Kyrgios stepped up to the line to serve in the second set. He stopped to complain about music he could hear, which is understood to have come from the neighbouring MCG which was hosting cricket’s Big Bash League semi-final.
The 2016 Australian Open was a disaster for Kyrgios – who complained about everything
If that wasn’t enough, Kyrgios then engaged in a heated exchange with British umpire James Keothavong. Their conversation was picked up by the courtside microphones and it’s safe to say it didn’t shower Kyrgios in glory.
He said: ‘Mate, are you OK? There’s music playing in the crowd while we are playing. I’ve told you seven times. Am I hearing things? Am I hearing things? Mate, it’s a circus.’
Berdych then served out for a two-set lead as Kyrgios continued to moan as he sat down on his courtside chair, muttering: ‘It’s a f****** joke.’
Kyrgios went on to lose the match 6-3, 6-4, 1-6, 6-4 and criticise the chair umpire further – saying ‘you’re a terrible referee’ as he walked off the court.
He complained about the music, swore excessively, fought with the chair umpire and threw his racket across the court during his loss to Tomas Berdych
Throwing a tantrum over the colour of his towel
You never quite know which Kyrgios will be turning up on court. He can either be fun and playful or aggressive and short tempered. Unfortunately for the staff at the 2019 Rogers Cup, it was the latter.
During his clash with Kyle Edmund, Kyrgios demanded that he was given a white towel, as opposed to a tournament-branded one. (Talk about being a diva!)
The 26-year-old refused to take part in the match until he was presented with a pristine new towel and caused quite the fuss on court while he waited.
‘I just want to know why it took you so long to get a white towel,’ Kyrgios asked officials. ‘Took you 20 minutes for this one. 20 minutes. Oh, you brought me two. Thanks.’
During his clash with Kyle Edmund, Kyrgios demanded that he was given a white towel
Caught out partying prior to his Wimbledon 2019 exit
Kyrgios has always been known for his controversial antics on court, but this incident questioned his decision-making off the court.
The Australian bad boy of tennis was seen at the Dog & Fox Pub in Wimbledon until around 11pm the night before his second-round match with Rafael Nadal in 2019.
Kyrgios was seen socialising with friends and chatting to girls at the pub on the Wednesday evening, according to sports commentator Miguel Seabra.
He wrote: ‘I just had a toast with Nick Kyrgios at the Dog & Fox. He is completely relaxed, laughing with friends, chatting with girls, drinking.
‘Quite an unorthodox preparation for tomorrow’s blockbuster, uh? I like it.’
It comes a no surprise that Kyrgios crashed out of the tournament. However, instead of reflecting on his defeat…the Australian bad-boy headed straight back to the pub to wash away his misery.
Demanding a beer on court at the 2017 French Open
Kyrgios crashed out of the 2017 French Open in spectacular form, smashing two racquets and asking for a beer mid-match.
The Australian star bombed out of the season’s second Grand slam in Paris with a 5-7 6-4 6-1 6-2 second-round loss to South African star Kevin Anderson.
Kyrgios was visibly frustrated during the match and even asked a spectator to get him a beer after losing serve in the fourth set.
‘Get me a beer now. Honest to God, get me one now,’ he said. A spectator responded: ‘You’re kidding.’ Kyrgios said: ‘I don’t think so.’
Kyrgios entered the tournament under a fitness cloud – and hip and shoulder niggles undoubtedly contributed to his demise as the then-22-year-old coughed up an uncharacteristic nine double-faults in the four-set defeat.
Additionally, Kyrgios had just lost his Grandpa – making it somewhat of an emotional torment for more reasons than one.
Kyrgios crashed out of the 2017 French Open in spectacular form after smashing two rackets
The ‘bad-boy’ also asked a spectator to get him a beer after losing serve in the fourth set
Blaming his defeat on a ‘hot chick’ in the stands
Kyrgios is known for interacting with the crowd while on court. However, it never normally impacts his performance.
The Australian bad-boy joked he had lost concentration during his 2019 Laver Cup defeat by Rodger Federer because he had spotted a ‘really hot chick in the crowd’.
The controversial 26-year-old was unable to hold off a rousing comeback from the Swiss great in Geneva, eventually being overcome 6-7 (5-7), 7-5, 10-7 after one hour and 51 minutes.
Kyrgios gave an amusing post-match interview after he had informed his team of the reason behind his poor performance.
He could be heard saying: ‘I lost concentration, I saw a really hot chick in the crowd. Like, I’m being genuinely honest – I’d marry her right now. Right now.’
Kyrgios joked he had lost concentration as he had spotted a ‘really hot chick in the crowd’
Kyrgios could be heard explaining the reason behind his poor patch to his team on the bench
Throwing a chair at the Italian Open in 2019
The day after giving an explosive interview in which he admitted he ‘can’t stand’ the ‘cringeworthy’ Novak Djokovic, Kyrgios was guilty of one of his worst meltdown’s to date.
He hurled a chair onto the court at the 2019 Italian Open and kicked a bottle during an extraordinary outburst. His actions overshadowed iconic moments such as Jo Konta claiming back-to-back victories over Venus Williams and Sloane Stephens to reach the quarter finals.
Kyrgios was issued with a fine of £17,000 after losing the plot against Norway’s Casper Ruud when he was given a game penalty for unsportsmanlike conduct.
Playing on a noisy outside court at the Foro Italico, Kyrgios was triggered by the crowd and became involved in an exchange with officials after being made to forfeit a game to go 2-1 down in the decider.
Having angrily hurled his racket to the floor he threw the fold-up chair onto the playing surface and then went into an expletive-filled rant, shouting at the chair: ‘I am giving 100 per cent to deal with f****** idiots like him, I’m done. I’m f****** done. I’m f****** done with it. I don’t give a f***.’
He then put his bag over his shoulder and walked off court of his own accord, but was officially defaulted from the match.
Kyrgios lost his temper at the 2019 Italian Open, smashing his racket and kicking a water bottle
Kyrgios then picked up a seat from courtside and hurled that into the centre of the court
Telling Stan Wawrinka a friend ‘banged his girlfriend’
Kyrgios got himself into hot water once again after brutally trash-talking his Swiss opponent, Stan Wawrinka, during a second-round clash at the 2015 Montreal Masters.
In a remark picked up by a courtside microphone, Kyrgios told third-seeded Wawrinka that a teenage Australian player, Thanasi Kokkinakis, slept with his girlfriend.
‘Kokkinakis banged your girlfriend,’ he said, midway through the second set. ‘Sorry to tell you that, mate’.
Kyrgios was referring to his Davis Cup team-mate Kokkinakis, while Wawrinka was romantically linked with Donna Vekic.
Wawrinka, who was the reigning Australian and French Open champion, was not happy with Kyrgios and took to Twitter after the match to condemn his actions.
He said: ‘So disappointing to see a fellow athlete and colleague be so disrespectful in a way could never even imagine. To [stoop] so low is not only unacceptable but also beyond belief’.
As a result of his questionable court-etiquette, Kyrgios was fined £10,000 and handed a 28-day suspended sentence.
Abusing hecklers and calling out Ben Stiller
Kyrgios lost to the 2022 Australian Open champion Nadal in a three-set thriller at Indian Wells. He was beaten 7-6 (7-0), 5-7, 6-4 to end an extraordinary tournament.
However, it was Kyrgios’ tantrum that caught everyone’s attention. Kyrgios’ most memorable outburst of the match came when he singled out Ben Stiller – who was watching from the stands with wife Christine Taylor – to deal with a heckler.
The extraordinary exchange went like this:
Kyrgios: ‘Are you good at tennis?’
Heckler: ‘No.’
Kyrgios: ‘Exactly, so don’t tell me how to play. [Pointing at Stiller and his wife who were sitting nearby] Do I tell him how to act? No.’
Kyrgios stopped his service to address a heckler in the stands during the third and final set at Indian Wells
Actor Ben Still and wife Christine Taylor found the funny side of Kyrgios’ antics after being drawn into his tirade at a heckler in the crowd
Dropping F-bomb after beating Ruud at Indian Wells
Kyrgios has had a long-standing rivalry with Casper Ruud – having previously defaulted from the the Italian Open in 2019 for throwing a chair onto the court in the final set of their clash.
Kyrgios ensured that he got the last laugh over Ruud in March 2022 – defeating the 23-year-old 6-4 ,6-4 in a ruthless performance to advance in California.
The Australian went on to taunt his opponent after emerging victorious. He was filmed saying: ‘I hear no talking now. I hear no talking now. None. F***ing none.’
However, Kyrgios later took to Instagram to apologise for his comments – admitting that emotions got the better of him during the match.
Kyrgios launched the F-bomb at old rival Casper Ruud after his win earlier this month
Kyrgios looked down the camera lens and said ‘I hear no talking now’ after his superb victory
Outburst at the chair umpire Fergus Murphy in 2019
He just can’t help himself can he? Kyrgios was fined £98,904 for smashing two racquets and calling the chair umpire a ‘f**king tool at the Cincinnati Masters in 2019.
The ATP announced the penalties on the day after the tennis bad-boy berated chair umpire Fergus Murphy during a straight sets loss to Karen Khachanov.
The ATP listed a breakdown of eight fines ranging from £2,282 to £15,216 each for violations such as unsportsmanlike conduct, verbal abuse and audible obscenity.
Kyrgios (right) was fined £98,904 for smashing two racquets and calling the chair umpire (left) a ‘f**king tool at the Cincinnati Masters in 2019
Mimicking a lewd sex act at Queen’s, 2018
You think Kyrgios would know by now that cameras are everywhere at these sort of events!
The 26-year-old was caught mimicking a crude sex act with a water bottle during a break in games at the Marin Cilic at Queen’s.
The live footage of what he thought was a private moment between himself and his player’s box was broadcast to homes across the world.
Kyrgios held his drink bottle towards his groin and appeared to pretend to masturbate.
After playing around with his drink bottle he then finished off by spraying water onto the ground and taking a sip before sharing a cheeky grin. He was fined £13,000.
Earlier in the week he shouted out ‘f***’ during his match against Kyle Edmund, forcing BBC commentary to apologise for the foul language.
His response when it was raised afterwards? ‘Fine. I don’t care’.
Kyrgios was caught on live TV mimicking a lewd sex act with a water bottle at Queen’s
Refusing to try at Shanghai, 2016
Accusations of tanking have followed Kyrgios throughout his career. He was booed at Wimbledon in 2015 for a lack of effort in returning serves from Richard Gasquet.
Fans hoped their furious reaction would teach Kyrgios a lesson, but it seemed to do little good as he did not return shots and served without effort at the Shanghai Masters just one year later.
At one point he patted a serve over the net and at another he was walking off court before his opponent, Mischa Zverev, had returned the ball.
When told to act professionally by umpire Ali Nili after swearing, he responded: ‘Can you call time so I can finish this match and go home?’.
Kyrgios was issued with a three-month ban and a £20,500 fine but he made no apologies for his conduct after the match, even taking aim at the fans.
‘I don’t owe them [the fans] anything. It’s my choice. If you don’t like it, I didn’t ask you to come watch. Just leave. You want to buy a ticket? Come watch me.
‘You know I’m unpredictable. It’s your choice. I don’t owe you anything. Doesn’t affect how I sleep at night.’
Against Mischa Zverev in Shanghai in 2016 Kyrgios refused to serve properly or return shots
He was even seen walking off the court before Zverev had returned his serve to win the point
Taking a phone call on court at Australian Open, 2016
Before a mixed doubles match in Melbourne five years ago Kyrgios answered a phone call as he sat down with partner Ajla Tomljanovic.
He could have let it go to voicemail. He could have switched it off. He could have left it in the locker room. But no, he decided to answer it on court.
For once Kyrgios escaped punishment, but eyebrows were still raised after this indiscretion, with many questioning his professionalism and commitment to the sport.
Officials investigated the incident, which had left Tomljanovic thoroughly bemused, but he avoided sanction because it was pre-match.
‘Some of my friends called me,’ Kyrgios said. When asked if it was something important, he replied: ‘Kind of, not really’.
Kyrgios took a phone call from a friend before a mixed doubles match in Melbourne in 2016
Pelting a tennis racket at ball boy
Kyrgios’ gags are usually harmless but he came extremely close to causing some serious damage when he lost his temper at Indian Wells in March 2022.
Kyrgios was forced to apologies to the ball boy he nearly hit with a tennis racket after his quarterfinal defeat to Rafa Nadal. The Aussie star fell 7-6 (7-0), 5-7, 6-4 and lost his temper immediately after the match.
He launched his racket at the wall of the arena – leaving ball boy Tei Park ducking for cover. Overnight, Kyrgios sheepishly took to Instagram to find out the identity of the ball boy and apologise.
Sharing a post to his story, Kyrgios said: ‘I just want to apologise to that ball kid at the end of the match.
‘It was a complete accident and was frustrated at the end of the match. My racket took a crazy bounce and was never my intention. If anyone knows who that ball kid is, send me a message and I will send a racket to him. I’m glad he’s OK!’
Kyrgios was forced to apologies to the ball boy he nearly hit with a tennis racket after his quarter-final defeat to Rafa Nadal at Indian Wells 2022
Purposefully aims a ball at Rafael Nadal
Kyrgios confessed he was aiming to hit Nadal with the ball during their second-round match at Wimbledon in 2019. The Australian even refused to apologise for deliberately thrashing a forehand directly at his opponent in their ill-tempered grudge match at Wimbledon.
The tennis bad-boy admitted he was ‘going for him’ and told a press conference after his four set defeat: ‘I wanted to hit him square in the chest.’
He said: ‘I don’t care. Why would I apologise? I mean, the dude has got how many slams, how much money in the bank account? I think he can take a ball to the chest. I’m not going to apologise to him at all.’
His confession has sparked an angry backlash on social media, with fans calling for the ‘spoiled brat’ to be fined or ‘banned’ from the sport.
Kyrgios said he was aiming to hit Nadal with the ball during their 2019 clash at Wimbledon
The Spaniard (furthest away) managed to stop the ball from hitting his body with his racquet
Ignoring questions and chugging a Stella Artois
Kyrgios showcased his bizarre behaviour once again during a press conference 2019. He ignored a reporter’s question in favour of drinking a beer.
Kyrgios had been playing for Team World who lost to Team Europe during the Laver Cup in Geneva, Switzerland.
After the final tie between Milos Raonic and Alexander Zverev, Kyrgios attended a press conference joined by team captain and US tennis legend John McEnroe.
Kyrgios was angry about a question regarding his loss to Roger Federer during the competition and opted to drink he beer rather than answer.
However, when promoted, he said: ‘Probably just had to do with something that I was playing someone that’s probably the best to ever play the sport.
‘I don’t think it was a lack of shot selection or lack of discipline or lack of power or lack of anything. I think the guy I was playing was just pretty good. Don’t you think so? Yeah. It’s a pretty bad question, to be honest.’
He decided to chug a beer over answering a reporter’s question during a press conference
Brands Bernard Tomic ‘dumb’ and ‘irrelevant’ in long-running feud – as rival challenges him to a boxing match
Last month Kyrgios poured cold water on a potential boxing bout with arch rival Bernard Tomic, insisting he has ‘bigger fish to fry’ than taking on the ‘dead broke’ World No 417.
The Australian tennis duo have been embroiled in a war of words for years and their feud escalated even further last month after Kyrgios labelled Tomic ‘the most hated athlete in Australia’.
Tomic, 29, responded by challenging Kyrgios, 27, to a one-off battle on the grass court, with each player stumping up $1million in a winner-takes-all clash.
The 29-year-old then changed the arena of their battle to the boxing ring, demanding that they ‘sort this out as men’.
Yet Kyrgios has distanced himself from a boxing debut, with the Canberra-born star expressing sympathy for Tomic, who in 2016 reached a career-high ranking of No 17.
‘He’s not very good anymore, he’s not relevant anymore, and he’s obviously got money issues,’ Kyrgios told the Courier Mail.
‘For someone who actually tried to stand up for him before and tried to help him out, like my family’s helped him out before, I paid for his flights back home from Shanghai because he had no money. So for him to come out and attack is extremely disrespectful I think.
‘When he’s challenging me for boxing matches – like first of all, I don’t know who’s going to put up $1 million for him because he’s dead broke. Second of all, I have bigger fish to fry at the moment. I’m trying to get ready for Wimbledon. US Open. I’ve got off court contracts, tournaments still pay me to show up.
‘And I don’t think that’s happening for him at the moment. But maybe one day, I would love to challenge him in there. I feel like I’ve got him on fitness.’
Tomic has rubbished Kyrgios’ claims.
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Read more at DailyMail.co.uk