Nick Kyrgios’s feud with umpire Fergus Murphy boiled over during an explosive outing at the Cincinnati Masters that leaves the Australian player facing heavy sanctions from the ATP.
Kyrgios flared up at the end of the second set and never regained his composure, breaking two rackets during a bathroom break Murphy had refused him permission to take, before appearing to call the umpire a “fucking tool” at the conclusion of the match.
Earlier, the 24-year-old had called Murphy, who he has previous history with, “the worst ref in the game, hands down”. He added: “Every time I play he’s doing some stupid shit, every time.” The outburst earned him a court violation.
In stark contrast to the volatile Kyrgios, on the other side of the net the Russian eighth seed, Karen Khachanov, stayed cool despite the distractions to secure his place in the third round of the US Open warm-up tournament with a 6-7 (3-7), 7-6 (7-4), 6-2 win.
Kyrgios, who took the first set despite an apparent ankle problem, boiled over in the ninth game of the second as he railed over the timing of the service clock – he felt it was being started too early, leaving him to rush his first serves.
Addressing Murphy, he brought up Rafael Nadal’s notoriously slow service routine and said he would retire from tennis if “Rafa plays that quick”.
“Absolute rubbish … disgrace,” he said. “Get me some footage of Rafa playing that quick, that game. If you can find any of that I’ll shut my mouth and never speak again. I guarantee you’ll find none of that, none of it.”
Kyrgios lost the second set in a tie-breaker and continued his tirade against Murphy as the players sat down, earning himself the court violation.
Having been denied a bathroom break by the umpire as there was not enough time remaining at the changeover, Kyrgios took off regardless towards the changerooms, where he smashed two rackets against the wall before returning to court.
He escaped any further sanctions at the time as the officials who accompanied him did not see anything untoward.
ESPN Australia & NZ
(@ESPNAusNZ)BANG, BANG!! ??
Nick Kyrgios absolutely DESTROYED two racquets and the commentators lost it ? ?
Watch the Cincinnati Masters live on ESPN. pic.twitter.com/q2d2dTeND3
Khachanov took advantage of the ructions and raced through the third set, securing victory as Kyrgios double-faulted on match point. The Australian did not shake hands with the umpire and said on his way off court, “You’re a fucking tool bro”, before spitting on the court.
Ranked 27th, Kyrgios still appears likely to be seeded for the season’s final grand slam starting in New York on 26 August. But the temperamental star may face significant fines for smashing two rackets in the vicinity of the court, verbally abusing Murphy, and not actually using the bathroom after requesting a toilet break.
Earlier, Australian men’s No 2 Alex de Minaur posted a 7-6 (7-3), 6-4 second-round win over American Reilly Opelka, and in the women’s draw, top seed Ashleigh Barty beat Maria Sharapova in straight sets to advance to the third round.
