(Video) Nick Kyrgios Gives Fierce Response to Heckler During Australian Open Match: “You F*****g Paid to Watch Me Bro”
Nick Kyrgios, who won the 2022 Australian Open doubles with Thanasi Kokkinakis, won the first-round mixed-doubles match with Leylah Fernandez in the ongoing event.
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Nick Kyrgios shut down a heckler during his Australian Open doubles match (Image via X/Matteo Zorzoli, Instagram/wwos)
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Nick Kyrgios, although he is still a part of the mixed doubles draw at the Australian Open, crashed out in the doubles he played alongside Thanasi Kokkinakis. On Thursday (January 22), The Special K’s lost to compatriots Jason Kubler and Marc Polmans 6-4, 4-6, 7-6(4) in their opening round.
Two incidents from the match frustrated Kyrgios- one was a let call from the umpire, and the other was an interruption from a heckler when Kyrgios and Kokkinakis were waiting for the serves from their opponents. To the heckler, in a typical Kyrgios manner, he fiercely responded to shut him down by yelling, “You f*****g paid to watch me bro, you weirdo.”
Watch the video of the incident here:
Kyrgios and Kokkinakis won that point and eventually lost the match in two hours and 47 minutes. Although Kyrgios has paired up with 2021 US Open runner-up Fernandez for mixed doubles, Kokkinakis, who, like the 2022 Wimbledon finalist, is dealing with injuries, pulled out of the mixed doubles.
Kokkinakis and Kyrgios won the 2022 Australian Open doubles together, defeating the pair of Ebden and Max Purcell. Due to their fitness issues, both players withdrew from singles in the ongoing event.
Nick Kyrgios slams the umpire after his doubles defeat
During that first-round doubles match, both Nick Kyrgios and Thanasi Kokkinakis got furious when a let was called on the latter’s serve. Jason Kubler and Marc Polmans called for a video review, alleging that Kokkinakis made contact with the ball on the wrong side of the net.
Kyrgios was greatly upset with the umpires, and at the press conference, when a reporter questioned him about the incident, he asked him, “Why are you smiling?” before delivering a scathing verdict.
You know what the issue is. How can you review a ball that’s been hit over the net, but you can’t review a serve over the net? Doesn’t make any f*****g sense. Like, that’s why I’m p****d off.
Nick Kyrgios said
A day after this match, Kyrgios and his mixed doubles partner, Leylah Fernandez, clinched the first-round win by defeating Neal Skupski and Desirae Krawczyk.
Like, we’re playing for millions of dollars. We’ve been both injured, both trying to get to this stage. Some of these rules are just so, so, so dumb. They don’t make sense. Yeah, so how can you not review a let? How can you not review that? How can you not just watch a ball just go over the net? How dumb does that sound?
Nick Kyrgios added
Prior to the Australian Open, Kyrgios and Kokkinakis played together in the Brisbane International doubles and made the second round after knocking out the pair of Matthew Ebden and Rajeev Ram. But they failed to go past Frenchmen Sadio Doumbia and Fabien Reboul.
Last year, while Kyrgios featured in five official tournaments, Kokkinakis played just the Brisbane International and the Australian Open. Kyrgios, after these events, signed up for Indian Wells, Miami Open, and the Citi Open. In Washington, he only played doubles, losing in the first round alongside Gael Monfils.
In Miami, Kyrgios registered his first match after a long time, defeating Mackenzie McDonald, before falling to Karen Khachanov. In this year’s Brisbane International, the 30-year-old competed in singles but suffered a straight-set defeat at the hands of Aleksandar Kovacevic. Kyrgios, who lost the 2022 Wimbledon final to Novak Djokovic, hasn’t yet reached a final since defeating Yoshihito Nishioka in the 2022 Citi Open.
Kyrgios’ Australian Open mixed doubles partner lost to Janice Tjen in singles. Her doubles campaign also ended when she and Timea Babos fell to ninth seeds Cristina Bucsa and Nicole Melichar-Martinez.
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