Saturday night on Court No. 1 of the All-England Lawn Tennis Club, Australian Nick Kyrgios beat the 4th seed of the Wimbledon tournament Stefanos Tsitsipas from Greece. The spectacle was one of the most eventful and anger-filled tennis matches ever seen, advancing to the Round of 16 in the Wimbledon tournament. The two players later launched offensive attacks and accusations after the match in the news conferences cooking up even more drama.
Kyrgios took the game 6-7 (2), 6-4, 6-3, 7-6 (7) with two intense tiebreakers in the match. Kyrgios’ various complaints and arrogant actions during the game angered Tsitsipas throughout the match, to which Tsitsipas lost swiftly at the end. Kyrgios has long been the largest source of drama in tennis matches and tournaments, bringing massive audiences and heated conflicts. “Everywhere I go I’m seeing full stadiums. The media loves to write that I am bad for the sport but clearly not,” Kyrgios stated after the match.
The massive crowd of over 10,000 ate up the complications throughout the match excitedly. During the game, Tsitsipas intentionally angrily smashed a ball into the crowd, almost injuring an audience member and hitting the scoreboard on the opponent’s side. Kyrgios held on to the incidents throughout the match, constantly interrupting to complain to supervisors, referees, and the chair umpire. Kyrgios argued that the umpire would have punished him if he had done the same things as Tsitsipas. Tsitsipas was annoyed by the numerous and confronted his opponent about turning the match into a circus.
Tsitsipas acknowledged his behaviors in the match during his news conference. He apologized for putting the crowd in danger with his swing. However, the swat he sent to Kyrgios’ side was admitted to have worse intentions than breaking the scoreboard.
“I was aiming for the body of my opponent, but I missed by a lot, by a lot,” Tsitsipas confessed,“When I feel like other people disrespect me and don’t respect what I’m doing from the other side of the court, it’s absolute normal from my side to act and do something about it.”
He explained, “It’s constant bullying, that’s what he does. He bullies the opponents. He was probably a bully at school himself. I don’t like bullies. I don’t like people that put other people down. He has some good traits in his character, as well. But when he — he also has a very evil side to him, which, if exposed, can really do a lot of harm and bad to the people around him.” Tsitsipas expressed his dissatisfaction with Kyrgios’ reckless behavior during the conference, and other players needed to start finding ways to keep him down.
After the dramatic match, Kyrgios first received an interview and publicly violated the all-white dress code of Wimbledon by wearing a black hat. His action disrespected the Wimbledon tournament, the competition seen as the most important of the Grand Slams, dating back the furthest.
Kyrgios sat and watched while Tsitsipas exposed his ill intentions and opened up a safe, clear path for Kyrgios to take in the news conference afterward. Kyrgios calmly stated, “He was the one hitting balls at me. He was the one that hit a spectator. He was the one that smacked it out of the stadium.” Kyrgios also thought Tsitsipas wasn’t being a real man. Tsitsipas didn’t have the guts to properly shake his opponent’s hand today and be a good sport. Mere complaints from Kyrgios also aggravated his mental state.
“We’re not cut from the same cloth. I go up against guys who are true competitors. If he’s affected by that today, then that’s what’s holding him back, because someone can just do that, and that’s going to throw him off his game like that. I just think it’s soft,” Kyrgios said about Tsitsipas. “I’m good in the locker room. I’ve got many friends, just to let you know. I’m actually one of the most liked. I’m set. He’s not liked,” Kyrgios smirkingly added about his opponent.
Kyrgios has been wreaking havoc since long ago. This year in California, he smashed a racket, which almost hit a ball boy’s face. He pesters the staff for small matters and destroys things, resulting in regular fines. Kyrgios is exceptionally talented in tennis and not afraid to speak up for himself about problems during games, just not always respectfully and calmly. All said, his incidents empower him to continue games with his outstanding play using all kinds of flashy tactics. His circuses are just the kind that draws audiences and makes money for the tournaments despite the unknown costs they might have for them each time.
“Unscripted. Unfiltered. Unmissable,” the Wimbledon Twitter posted in awe of his Saturday show.
Sources: Nick Kyrgios, a Dream and a Nightmare for Wimbledon, Is Winning – The New York Times (nytimes.com)
Kyrgios took the game 6-7 (2), 6-4, 6-3, 7-6 (7) with two intense tiebreakers in the match. Kyrgios’ various complaints and arrogant actions during the game angered Tsitsipas throughout the match, to which Tsitsipas lost swiftly at the end. Kyrgios has long been the largest source of drama in tennis matches and tournaments, bringing massive audiences and heated conflicts. “Everywhere I go I’m seeing full stadiums. The media loves to write that I am bad for the sport but clearly not,” Kyrgios stated after the match.
The massive crowd of over 10,000 ate up the complications throughout the match excitedly. During the game, Tsitsipas intentionally angrily smashed a ball into the crowd, almost injuring an audience member and hitting the scoreboard on the opponent’s side. Kyrgios held on to the incidents throughout the match, constantly interrupting to complain to supervisors, referees, and the chair umpire. Kyrgios argued that the umpire would have punished him if he had done the same things as Tsitsipas. Tsitsipas was annoyed by the numerous and confronted his opponent about turning the match into a circus.
Tsitsipas acknowledged his behaviors in the match during his news conference. He apologized for putting the crowd in danger with his swing. However, the swat he sent to Kyrgios’ side was admitted to have worse intentions than breaking the scoreboard.
“I was aiming for the body of my opponent, but I missed by a lot, by a lot,” Tsitsipas confessed,“When I feel like other people disrespect me and don’t respect what I’m doing from the other side of the court, it’s absolute normal from my side to act and do something about it.”
He explained, “It’s constant bullying, that’s what he does. He bullies the opponents. He was probably a bully at school himself. I don’t like bullies. I don’t like people that put other people down. He has some good traits in his character, as well. But when he — he also has a very evil side to him, which, if exposed, can really do a lot of harm and bad to the people around him.” Tsitsipas expressed his dissatisfaction with Kyrgios’ reckless behavior during the conference, and other players needed to start finding ways to keep him down.
After the dramatic match, Kyrgios first received an interview and publicly violated the all-white dress code of Wimbledon by wearing a black hat. His action disrespected the Wimbledon tournament, the competition seen as the most important of the Grand Slams, dating back the furthest.
Kyrgios sat and watched while Tsitsipas exposed his ill intentions and opened up a safe, clear path for Kyrgios to take in the news conference afterward. Kyrgios calmly stated, “He was the one hitting balls at me. He was the one that hit a spectator. He was the one that smacked it out of the stadium.” Kyrgios also thought Tsitsipas wasn’t being a real man. Tsitsipas didn’t have the guts to properly shake his opponent’s hand today and be a good sport. Mere complaints from Kyrgios also aggravated his mental state.
“We’re not cut from the same cloth. I go up against guys who are true competitors. If he’s affected by that today, then that’s what’s holding him back, because someone can just do that, and that’s going to throw him off his game like that. I just think it’s soft,” Kyrgios said about Tsitsipas. “I’m good in the locker room. I’ve got many friends, just to let you know. I’m actually one of the most liked. I’m set. He’s not liked,” Kyrgios smirkingly added about his opponent.
Kyrgios has been wreaking havoc since long ago. This year in California, he smashed a racket, which almost hit a ball boy’s face. He pesters the staff for small matters and destroys things, resulting in regular fines. Kyrgios is exceptionally talented in tennis and not afraid to speak up for himself about problems during games, just not always respectfully and calmly. All said, his incidents empower him to continue games with his outstanding play using all kinds of flashy tactics. His circuses are just the kind that draws audiences and makes money for the tournaments despite the unknown costs they might have for them each time.
“Unscripted. Unfiltered. Unmissable,” the Wimbledon Twitter posted in awe of his Saturday show.
Sources: Nick Kyrgios, a Dream and a Nightmare for Wimbledon, Is Winning – The New York Times (nytimes.com)
