MELBOURNE, AUSTRALIA - JANUARY 27: Nick Kyrgios of Australia throws his racquet in his Men's Doubles Semifinals match with Thanasi Kokkinakis of Australia against Marcel Granollers of Spain and Horacio Zeballos of Argentina during day 11 of the 2022 Australian Open at Melbourne Park on January 27, 2022 in Melbourne, Australia. (Photo by Daniel Pockett/Getty Images)
Nick Kyrgios claims he was subjected to racist slurs and abuses during his 6-7, 6-2 loss to Andy Murray in Stuttgart
Nick Kyrgios took to social media to hit out at the crowd in Stuttgart, who apparently directed racist slurs and abuses at him during his match against Andy Murray. In his post on Instagram, Kyrgios took a strong stand against verbal abuses that athletes are subjected to – in numerous sports across the globe.
In an entertaining semi-final encounter at the Stuttgart Open, both players were difficult to separate before Murray sealed the first set in tie‑break. Soon after, Kyrgios broke his racket and earned a point penalty as well as a game penalty in the second set. The Australian, who was constantly complaining to the umpire, then refused to continue playing, sitting in his chair until the supervisor came out and convinced him to finish the match.
After the match, Kyrgios revealed that racist slurs were hurled at him by the crowd. “When is this going to stop? Dealing with racial slurs from the crowd?, Kyrgios wrote on social media.
He further added, “I understand that my behaviour isn’t the best all the time – but ‘you little black sheep’, ‘shut up and play’ – little comments like this are not acceptable. When I retaliate to the crowd, I get penalised. This is messed up.”
Andy Murray is set to face No.2 seed Matteo Berrettini in the final of the Stuttgart Open. Murray was literally gifted the second set by Kyrgios – the Australian felt severely let down by the crowd in Stuttgart.
“It wasn’t fun in the end. The second set wasn’t a proper match. The end of the first set was deciding”, Murray admitted after the match.
Murray kicked off his grass-court season at the Surbiton Trophy, a Challenger event. He reached the semi-finals of the event, displaying some good form. Now, an appearance in the final in Stuttgart has given the 35-year-old some much needed positive momentum ahead of the Wimbledon starting on June 27.
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