Nick Kyrgios’ brother has been slammed for wearing T-shirt promoting gambling after a match interrupted by a screaming fan.
As the 22-year-old was praised for defying multiple disruptions to defeat Viktor Troicki on Wednesday, his brother Christos was under fire for a Sportbet T-shirt.
Christos, 29, was accused of being a ‘human billboard’ for wearing the shirt which said ‘Chill bro’ in large capitals with the online betting company’s logo.
The drama surrounding Nick Kyrgios’ second round Australian Open match has continued, with fans slamming his brother’s choice of T-shirt (pictured )
An attention-seeking internet prankster brought Nick Kyrgios’ Australian Open match to a halt after he began taking a selfie while screaming
As Nick Kyrgios (pictured) was praised for defying multiple disruptions to defeat Viktor Troicki on Wednesday, his brother Christos was under fire for a Sportbet T-shirt
Fans were not impressed with former gym-owner Christos Kyrgios’ T-shirt, taking him to task for promoting gambling culture.
‘Interesting that Kyrgios’ brother can sit court side with a Sportsbet shirt so visible. Not much protection for AusOpen official sponsor William Hill,’ said a Twitter user.
‘As if we don’t see enough gambling advertisements, we now have Nick Kyrgios’ brother acting as a human billboard in the player’s box. Standing up for the cameras. Are you serious Australian Open?’ said another.
‘Christos Kyrgios [is] acting as a walking, talking ad for Sportbet Australia,’ said another.
Crowd favourite Nick Kyrgios was preparing to serve for the second game in the second set when he was interrupted by Jamie Zhu, who was standing directly alongside his box
The match was marred with interruptions beginning when self-proclaimed ‘social media entertainer’ Jamie Zhu took a selfie while making bizarre noises.
Moments later a helicopter hovering overhead drowned out the sounds of the game, followed by problems with the umpire’s microphone and the PA system.
The bizarre tennis match also saw the umpire smashed in the temple thanks to a loose backhand from Kyrgios’ opponent Viktor Troicki.
Kyrgios, who was fined $3,700 after his first round match for telling a fan to ‘shut the f*** up’, said ‘Well done, you’re an idiot,’ to Zhu after the selfie stunt.
The crowd favourite was preparing to serve for the game in the second set of his second round match on Wednesday night when he was first interrupted.
The man who pulled the stunt is Jamie Zhu, a self-described ‘social media entertainer’ who regularly posts videos of his ‘pranks’
Nick Kyrgios (pictured, left) and Viktor Troicki (pictured, right) shook hands after a match marred by interruptions
The cries appear to just be a nonsensical howl rather than any particular words, but were enough to earn the unwanted attention of the players, crowd and security.
The man who pulled the stunt is Jamie Zhu, a self-described ‘social media entertainer’ who regularly posts videos of his ‘pranks’.
Zhu posted again to Instagram after he was kicked out, bragging to his followers.
‘You guys might have just seen me on TV, I’ve just been evicted. I think that was the greatest thing I’ve done in my life,’ he said.
‘Hope you guys enjoyed that.’
Boos rang out as a nearby man attempted to push the man away while looking around for help
‘There’s a guy down there with his camera right now who’s standing right next to Nick’s box. That was sub-optimal,’ Seven commentator Jim Courier said
He has since posted on Facebook about the incident, referring to the screech as a ‘sex noise’.
‘There’s a guy down there with his camera right now who’s standing right next to Nick’s box. That was sub-optimal,’ Seven commentator Jim Courier said during the stunt.
‘I thought he was just taking a photo of himself but then he went into a chant of some sort,’ sideline reporter Roger Rasheed added.
‘But then it continued so there was a little bit of concern but he was quickly ushered out.’
Kyrgios will face Frenchman Jo-Wilfried Tsonga in the third round, and is hoping to play in the Rod Laver Arena.
Security rushed in to remove Zhu (pictured) and the match resumed after the stunt, only to be interrupted again moments later by a helicopter