Nick Kyrgios alleged that he was racially abused by a fan in a chaotic semifinal defeat to Andy Murray at the Stuttgart Open.
Kyrgios was contesting his second semifinal of the season. He ended his two-month hiatus to rejoin the Tour for the grass-court wing and showed his mettle on the surface with victories over Jiri Lehecka, Nikoloz Basilashvili, and, more recently, Marton Fucsovics (via retirement).
But he could not add two-time former Wimbledon champion Murray to that list as the Briton continued to enjoy his excellent record over the man from Australia.
Kyrgios actually played very well in a competitive first set, but he lost control of his emotions, and the match slipped through his grasp. On one occasion, he was given a warning for smashing a ball into the crowd.
Kyrgios then broke his racket in disgust and was given a point penalty in the first set which he lost in a tie-break. In the second set, he got into an argument with a spectator and was given a game penalty by the chair umpire.
The 27-year-old lost the match in straight sets but later on, claimed on social media that he heard a racial slur from a member of the crowd and criticized tennis officials for penalizing him when he was trying to "retaliate."
"When is this going to stop? Dealing with racial slurs from the crowd? 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."
It remains to be seen if the tournament will follow up on the incident. If the accusations are true, action will most likely be taken against the culprit. The ATP holds the principles of diversity in the highest regard and does not entertain discrimination against any player.
Kyrgios will remain in Germany but will travel to Halle to compete at the ATP 500 event, which will feature some serious talent.
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