Nick Kyrgios accused a Queen’s Club umpire of “rigging the game” in an angry reaction to some calls in his 7-6 6-3 first round win against Roberto Carballes Baena.
The 24-year-old showcased his on-court talent with a swift victory, but he was up to his usual antics in his interactions with the officials. Kyrgios earned a set point in the first set, but was left furious when the umpire failed to call Baena’s second serve as long.
“Bro, you are taking the f**king p**s, mate”, was the world number 39’s assessment.
He was not finished making his point. He gestured with his arms to show how far out he felt the serve had landed, threatening to “refuse to play” and picking up a code violation in the process.
His verbal barrage then took a curious turn, as he remarked to the umpire: “It’s a joke man. It’s a serious joke. Like your hat looks ridiculous, also. It’s not even sunny”.
He was far from the first to complain about the lack of sun so far at Queen’s, the best part of two days of play were lost over Tuesday and Wednesday, causing scheduling havoc.
This may pose a problem to the Australian, who later began to direct criticism at himself.
“So lazy,” he described himself. “You played Fifa until 3am, what do you expect?”
He may still have the crowd on his side. They appeared broadly sympathetic to Kyrgios’ view that “literally the set had finished, he double-faulted”, and laughed appreciatively when the still-incensed pro offered a round of sarcastic applause when a later Baena serve was called out.
His remark of “you wonder why I don’t try half the time” may be less well-received, however. Kyrgios has been repeatedly booed by crowds feeling he is not putting in full effort, including in a controversial incident at last year’s US Open where umpire Mohamed Lahyani appeared to give him a pep talk.
