Nick Kyrgios Launches Furious Rant At Umpire After Injured Kokkinakis Receives Warning
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Since returning to the ATP Tour, Nick Kyrgios has struggled with physical issues, but his fiery personality remains intact. That was shown during an outburst at the umpire in an Australian Open men's doubles contest with Thanasi Kokkinakis.
It was uncertain whether Kyrgios and Kokkinakis, who won the 2022 Australian Open men's doubles title, would compete together this year because of their respective injuries. Kyrgios only recently returned from a wrist reconstruction.
The 2022 Wimbledon runner-up then sustained an abdominal problem before the season's opening Grand Slam. Kyrgios completed his singles match against Jacob Fearnley but visibly struggled throughout because of that injury.
Kyrgios said in a press conference afterward that he and Kokkinakis would likely play in the doubles despite his injuries, but that was before Kokkinakis played a brutal five-set match against Jack Draper.
After trying and failing to serve out the match in the fourth set, Kokkinakis eventually lost to his British opponent. That meant the contest undoubtedly left him feeling mentally as well as physically drained. On top of that, he was battling a shoulder injury.
Although it might have been tempting to withdraw, Kokkinakis decided to try and compete in the doubles with Kyrgios. Their respective physical issues provided the backdrop to the 29-year-old's angry words with the umpire.
During the opening set, Kokkinakis hit the ball into the net and then again on the rebound in frustration. The umpire felt he had no choice but to give him a code violation.
While the umpire's decision was right by the letter of the law, Kyrgios felt he should have shown more understanding to Kokkinakis after he elected to play in the doubles to entertain the crowd despite being injured.
"Bro, really? Really? You're really going to do that? So him trying to play in front of the fans doesn't mean anything? You're going to give him a fu***ng code violation for that? Really bro?"
Kyrgios then mentioned how he and Kokkinakis were physically hampered, and that his doubles partner did not need to play the match. The 29-year-old also rejected the umpire's assertion that Kokkinakis' actions were unsportsmanlike.
"We're both injured right, full stadium of people to come see us play and he doesn't have to be here right and he hits a ball out of pain and you're going to give him a code violation."
"But it's not unsportsmanlike? I'm just saying, read the game a bit more. I'm just saying, you don't need to do that."
After trying to compete, Kyrgios and Kokkinakis retired with the score 5-7, 2-3, to their opponents Aleksandar Vukic and James Duckworth. However, the fans still gave them a great reception and were grateful for their presence on the court.
Kyrgios and Kokkinakis will undoubtedly be happy to get some rest time. Kyrgios's future in singles is uncertain. He hinted at retirement after losing to Fearnley.
