‘Bro you are taking the f****** p***’: Nick Kyrgios launches expletive rant at Queen’s umpire after missing set point chance… before labelling himself ‘so lazy’ for ‘playing FIFA until 3am’
- Nick Kyrgios accused officials of ‘rigging’ his first-round match at Queen’s
- The Australian then admonished himself for ‘playing FIFA’ until the early hours
- He launched an expletive rant after missing a set point on Thursday afternoon
Nick Kyrgios says that he feels happy and settled in London but there was little sign of that on Thursday as he got into more trouble at the Fever-Tree Championships.
The tempestuous Australian is expected to get a fine after blowing up at the umpire at the end of his first match, before losing his second-round game later in the day to promising Canadian teenager Felix Auger-Aliassime.
Having competed hard for most of the match he looked fairly disinterested by the end, going down 6-7, 7-6, 7-5 and not bothering to attempt returns as the contest reached its climax. He served underarm four times in the match and in the final game hit a between-the-legs shot at deuce.
Nick Kyrgios exploded at umpire Fergus Murphy during his first-round match at Queen’s
Kyrgios got riled up when he thought his opponent double faulted at set point down
The outspoken Australian suggested that line judges were ‘rigging the game’ on Thursday
The trouble started in his opening match of the day — he needed to play twice due to rain delays earlier in the week — when he beat Spaniard Roberto Carballes Baena 7-6, 6-3.
He soon become angry at line calls and got into protracted disputes with Irish umpire Fergus Murphy. He was also ranting at himself, saying he’d played FIFA until 3am and only had himself to blame.
‘Bro, you are taking the f****** p*** mate,’ Kyrgios exploded at Murphy. ‘The ball was this far out, no joke. What are you doing? It’s so far long. Bro, it’s taking the p***. I refuse to play.’
24-year-old Kyrgios watches an adjacent match instead of sitting down at a changeover
Kyrgios may yet face disciplinary action over his behaviour during the first-round match
Murphy responded by issuing a code violation but Kyrgios kept up his attack, including a bizarre reference to the Irishman’s headwear.
‘It couldn’t have been further out. What are you doing?’ he said. ‘It’s a joke, man. It’s a serious joke. Like your hat looks ridiculous, also. It’s not even sunny.’
Later Kyrgios said: ‘I thought the calls were pretty ordinary all day, to be honest. That’s what you get when you play on an outside-court without Hawk-Eye.
‘Some of the calls were outrageous today. I just don’t think, at this level of sport, that we should have line judges and umpires that aren’t making the right decisions.
Kyrgios ended up beating Spaniard Roberto Carballes Baena 7-6, 6-3 on Thursday
‘And I know what happens. Nothing happens. They get a little slap on the wrist. They don’t get any warning or fine or anything for their mistakes. Why can’t they get fined for having a terrible day in the chair?
‘There’s hundreds of thousands of dollars on the line. It’s not a joke. They just think it’s a joke because nothing happens to them after the match. I think it’s ridiculous.
‘Why not have another umpire ready to come in if that guy’s have a terrible day? The calls are horrendous, but I get fined and he gets nothing. It’s rubbish.
‘I just don’t think they get punished enough, like sanctioned enough if they make a bad decision.’