GAME, SET & SNITCH
Bad boy Kyrgios kicks off at SW19 as Aussie ace slams fans and the umpire after seeing off Brit Jubb
WELL, it didn’t take long for Nick Kyrgios to serve up a Wimbledon meltdown as he doubled down on an astonishing rant that included admitting he spat at a spectator.
The Australian wildman racked up a litany of outbursts that also included calling a line judge a “snitch’ and claiming she was too old to do her job properly.
Kyrgios was furious after a fan clapped sarcastically as he fired a first serve into the net in an incident that lit the fuse for a heated argument with umpire Marija Cicak where he claimed he wouldn’t behave that way at a supermarket checkout.
It’s the latest uproar from the sport’s notorious bad boy who began the furore with a verbal exchange with Cicak where he demanded the removal of anyone who attempted to rile him.
Krrgios said: “There are spectators who spend money to come watch us play. They should be removed.
“There’s no pure disrespect like that. I don’t go up to their face and go to their nine to five and start clapping when they’re scanning s*** at a supermarket, do I?
“Like, ‘Oh boo yeah well done, you can’t scan that thing for s***’.”
Krygios would eventually see off Britain’s Paul Jubb in a first-round, five-set thriller but the 27-year-old was unrepentant when asked if he spat in the direction of his seated tormentor.
He said: “Of one of the people disrespecting me. Yes. I would not be doing that to someone who was supporting me”
The Aussie was also unrepentant over his ‘supermarket’ remark and insists he’s a victim of a culture in society where anyone is open to abuse both online and at sporting events.
Kyrgios said: “I’ve never, ever just gone to anyone else’s job and just blatantly spat or disrespected them. I don’t understand why people do that to athletes. Why do they feel the need that that’s acceptable?
“I don’t go into Argos and just start smashing someone at the counter when they’re doing their job. I’ve never done that in my life.
“I think it’s a level of respect. I don’t care what you do. I’m just saying, why do people…?
“It’s happening more and more in sport, spectators are just so disrespectful to the athletes. I don’t think it’s okay.
“Have you ever gone into a supermarket and just started berating someone scanning the groceries? No. So why do they do it when I’m at Wimbledon? Why is that?”
Nobody was safe from the wrath of a player who claims to have been been financially sanctioned to the tune of half a million pounds for previous bad behaviour.
And he hit out a line judge both because of her age and what he believed to be poor eyesight and has no regrets about his ‘snitch’ remark.
The Aussie said: “No. Why? That’s what she did. I didn’t do anything and she went to the umpire and told her something that I didn’t say. That’s called whistleblowing.
“I said most of the umpires are older and I just don’t think that’s ideal when you’re playing a sport of such small margins.
“Factually people who are younger have better eyesight. Do you not think that’s appropriate?
“When you’re playing a sport for hundreds and thousands of dollars, do you not think that we should have people that are really ready to call the ball in or out?
“Factually, does someone have better eyesight when they’re younger?
“That specific thing, I hit a ball in, the old man called it out, it was in. So arguably if the guy was 40 he may not have called that out.”
Kyrgios could now face another hefty fine for this outburst but did leave the media laughing when asked if the line judge was 60 with 20/20 vision would that alter his thinking?
He said: “In this case he got the call wrong.”