Kyrgios bracing for spit penalty
NICK Kyrgios is still waiting to learn his punishment for spitting at a spectator at Wimbledon.
Officials at the All England club are expected to heavily fine the Australian for his revolting behaviour in the ugly aftermath of his first-round win over Britain’s Paul Jubb.
However, they will stop short of booting him out of the tournament.
Kyrgios was due to play two matches on Thursday – a second-round singles against Serbia’s Filip Krajinovic and a first-round doubles match with his Australian Open partner Thanasi Kokkinakis.
Both matches will be played on outside courts, raising the possibility of another Kyrgios temper tantrum as the crowds are seated much closer to the players away from centre court.
Although he’s box-office gold and pulls in the biggest crowds, it’s easy to see why Wimbledon officials would be reluctant to put the trash-talking Australian on centre court, where the royal box is situated.
If Kyrgios can survive to the second week of the championships, he will eventually get to play in front of members of the royal family and their VIP guests but for now, he’s been banished to court 2, which has a capacity of 4000 spectators.
Kyrgios hasn’t made any new friends after his disgusting antics at the home of tennis, where he not only spat at a spectator but also abused a female match official and was warned for smashing a ball out of the grounds after struggling to overcome Jubb, ranked 219th in the world.
Kyrgios claimed he was subjected to unacceptable levels of personal abuse from spectators at the outside court he was playing on, but witnesses said fans were well behaved and it was Kyrgios who overstepped the line.
Kyrgios has a long history of fighting with crowds, including at this year’s Australian Open doubles final where he teamed up with Kokkinakis to win their first grand slam title.
Asked about his partner’s latest outburst, Kokkinakis said he wasn’t even aware of it until questioned.
“I actually didn’t see it. That’s news to me. I didn’t know he spat or anything like that,” he said.
“Obviously you don’t want to be spitting too much unless you know you have a bit of phlegm you have to get out.
“I’m not sure, mate. I didn’t see what happened there.”
Pressed on whether he’s ever felt the need to step in and calm down his hot-headed playing partner, Kokkinakis said it was part of his character.
“I know when he plays there is always some sort of drama,” Kokkinakis said.
“Everyone knows how Nick is. He’s a competitive player.”