"I don't think he controls the crowd well at all, I don't think my point penalty was worth a point penalty"- Nick Kyrgios on chair umpire Carlos Bernardes
Nick Kyrgios reserved some harsh words for chair umpire Carlos Bernardes after his fourth-round exit in Miami, saying the Brazilian was incapable of controlling the crowd.
The Australian lost 7-6(3), 6-3 to Jannik Sinner on Tuesday. During the first-set tie-break, Kyrgios was handed a point penalty for unsportsmanlike conduct after talking to a member of his team. Sinner went on to win the set after the Australian served a double fault.
The 26-year-old Australian was then seen having a heated argument with Bernardes and smashed his racket in frustration, in response to which the chair umpire handed him a game penalty.
To recap, Sinner-Kyrgios from 5-3 in the tiebreak
- Unsportsmanlike conduct, point penalty Kyrgios
- NK DF on set point
- NK shouts at umpire Bernardes
- NK destroys racquet, game penalty *on his serve*
- Fan runs on-court for a selfie
- Sinner hasn't said a word, leads 7-6 2-0*
Sinner took the second set 6-3 to seal his place in the quarterfinals of the Miami Masters.
At his press conference, Kyrgios said he felt he didn't deserve a point penalty, especially since it was awarded to him at such an important stage of the match.
"I mean, look, I just don't think he controls the crowd well at all, in my personal opinion," Kyrgios said. "People can have their opinions on it. I just don't think my point penalty was worth a point penalty."
"Literally, all I said to my team was I thought that Matthew Reid, an ex-tennis player, could do just as good a job in the umpire's chair. If that's worth a point penalty at 5-3 in the first-set tiebreak in the fourth round of Miami at a Masters event for hundreds of thousands of dollars, then that's for you to decide. But I think it's ridiculous, in my opinion."
The Mercurial Aussie later took to Twitter to praise Sinner but reaffirmed his opinion that Bernardes was not good enough to do his job.
"Don’t get it twisted. I got mad respect for @janniksin he is one of my favourite players and he was TOO GOOD," Kyrgios wrote. "I am aiming all of this at an umpire who clearly ISNT GOOD ENOUGH to be doing these matches. Nothing but a slap on the wrist for him right? What a joke."
Don’t get it twisted. I got mad respect for @janniksin ⚡️⚡️ he is one of my favourite players and he was TOO GOOD. I am aiming all of this at an umpire who clearly ISNT GOOD ENOUGH to be doing these matches. Nothing but a slap on the wrist for him right? What a joke.
"No one in that entire stadium bought a ticket to see him talk or play or do what he does" - Nick Kyrgios on Carlos Bernardes
When told in his press conference that Bernardes was regarded as a good umpire by many, the Aussie didn't seem to agree and said that people bought tickets to see him play rather than watch the official "talk or play or do what he does."
"I don't know. But like I'm just saying like I don't think like when everyone in that crowd is booing an umpire, and he's becoming the center of attention, that's not his job. Because no one in that entire stadium bought a ticket to see him talk or play or do what he does," Kyrgios said.
"I think you have Jannik Sinner who is one of our greatest stars who is going to do special things in this sport, and myself, I don't mean to toot my own horn, but the majority of the people are there to see me play, and you've got a guy that's talking -- I'm 40-Love up, and he's just talking. I'm like, 'What are you doing?' Because the crowd actually hated him that much, they told him to just be quiet."
Kyrgios said that he had never been a part of a match where the umpire was so hated and gave Bernardes one out of 10 for his performance.
"Then he's disrupting my service game," the Aussie added. "I can't even serve. He's like speaking to the crowd, and I'm just like, 'What are you doing? What are you doing? What are you actually doing right now?'"
"Then he's getting booed by the crowd like you are just not doing a good job. I have never been a part of a match where an umpire was hated that much today, like he made it about himself, like his feelings got hurt apparently from what I said, from what the crowd's feeling. You can't be like that if you're an umpire. I'm sorry."
"By the way, it's all electronically done now, so you're actually doing nothing apart from calling the score, by the way, which any tennis fan could do right now, sit in the chair and just say, 15-Love, Game Kyrgios, Game Sinner. Do you know what I mean? Like that's really all he has to do. He couldn't even do that. 1 out of 10 today," he concluded.