Australian Nick Kyrgios claims he was racially abused by some spectators during his Stuttgart tournament semi-final loss to Andy Murray on Saturday. During this match, he was penalized one game by the referee for losing his temper on the court.
“When is this going to stop? Having to deal with racial slurs from the crowd?” Kyrgios wrote on Instagram following the game. “I know my behavior isn’t always the best, but little black sheep shut up and play – those little comments are not acceptable,” said the 47th in the world.
“When I respond to the crowd, I get penalised. It’s nonsense, ”he continued on the social network.
Kyrgios lost his temper at the start of the second set following a tight 65-minute first set. The 27-year-old Australian broke his racquet and had a rather heated verbal exchange with a group of spectators, which led to him being first penalized with a point and then finally a game by the arbitrator.
From there, the whimsical Australian visibly dropped the match, contenting himself with returning Andy Murray’s balls to the chagrin of the large crowd. This allowed Murray to reach the 70th final of his career by winning 7-6 (7/5) 6-2.
ATS