Nick Kyrgios recently revealed that he spat at a fan in a chaotic first-round match against home wild card Paul Jubb at the 2022 Wimbledon Championships.
Kyrgios had won all four previous main draw matches against wild cards and was guaranteed to progress into the second round against a player ranked outside the Top 200.
But Jubb was certainly pumped for the occasion and demonstrated his talent on the big stage by pushing the former Wimbledon quarterfinalist to five sets.
After losing the first set and then winning the next two, it seemed that Nick Kyrgios would win easily, but thanks to the help from the crowd, Jubb forced a decider.
In the fifth set, Kyrgios led already 5-3 and served for the match; a lapse in concentration gave the undercard a route back into the match. Ultimately, though, the Australian's big serve and experience enabled him to squeeze through.
During the match, he debated the crowd a few times and even attacked a line judge. It appeared that he had a problem with a few specific spectators during the whole match, and he addressed them after the match.
When he won the final point, he turned to the crowd and spit in their direction, sending a clear message to them. He admitted in his post-match press conference that he was disrespected in the match and that some fans went overboard with their actions.
"It’s happening more and more in sport. I don’t go into Argos and just start smashing someone at the counter when they’re doing their job. I’ve never done that in my life. I just think spectators think there’s just no line there any more. They can just say something and they film it and then they laugh about it."
"Someone just yelled out I was shit in the crowd today. Is that normal? No. But it’s happening over and over again. I think it’s a level of respect. Why do they feel that’s acceptable?"