Kyrgios’ anger at ‘blatant racist’ Fraser
NICK KYRGIOS has branded fourtime Olympic swimming champion Dawn Fraser a ‘blatant racist’ after she claimed Australia’s young tennis stars should set a better example or ‘go back where their parents came from’. Fraser, 77, has ‘apologised unreservedly’ for her comments about Kyrgios. His father is from Greece and his mother was born in Malaysia, while fellow Aussie Bernard Tomic — this week removed from their Davis Cup team after hitting out at Tennis Australia — was born in Germany and has a Croatian father and Bosnian
mother. Fraser told Channel Nine’s Today programme: ‘They should be setting a better example for the younger generation of this great country of ours. If they don’t like it, go back to where their fathers or their parents came from. We don’t need them here in this country if they act like that.’ Kyrgios, 20, flew home yesterday following his defeat by Richard Gasquet at Wimbledon on Monday, but not before hitting back at Fraser on his Facebook page. He wrote: ‘Throwing a racket, brat. Debating the rules, disrespectful. Frustrated when competing, spoilt. Showing emotion, arrogant. Blatant racist, Australian legend.’ Kyrgios’ brother Christos told Australian radio station 3AW Drive: ‘My mum is obviously upset, my dad is obviously upset and... the majority of Australia is upset. I was pretty angry at the backward thinking and the fact that someone that... is meant to be an icon for the country, goes on to say something that was expected maybe 50 years ago, at worst. You’ve got someone like this publicly advocating racism.’ Kyrgios’ erratic behaviour at Wimbledon, meanwhile, may have been partly explained by a serious illness in his family. According to sources close to the player his grandfather, to whom Kyrgios is especially close, is said to be suffering from cancer. On Monday night he was at a pub in Wimbledon Village with his friend Jack Sock, the American player, whose beloved grandfather died last month after suffering from Alzheimer’s. Another unsettling factor has been the fact that Kyrgios and coach Todd Larkham have split. He could turn to Australian Roger Rasheed who is no longer coaching Grigor Dimitrov.