"Serena Williams was called hysterical, but why aren't we calling him that?"- Political journalist Ava Santina calls out Nick Kyrgios
Political journalist Ava Santina criticized Nick Kyrgios for acting erratically on the court and questioned why Serena Williams was labeled hysterical after smashing a racket at the 2018 US Open when Kyrgios was not.
Nick Kyrgios has a habit of getting himself embroiled in controversies and it was once again evident in his third-round clash at the 2022 Wimbledon Championships against Stefanos Tsitsipas. The match was controversial from the start, with both the players complaining about each other to the chair umpire.
The 27-year-old believed Tsitsipas ought to have been disqualified for hitting his ball into the spectators, while the Greek took offense at Kyrgios' involvement with the spectators, among many other incidents. This included Tsitsipas getting a point penalty and nearly hitting a spectator with a stray ball, Kyrgios complaining and arguing with chair umpires and bowing after winning the third set off a net cord.
Eventually, the match ended up having three code violations: one for Kyrgios for audible obscenity and two for Tsitsipas for ball abuse.
In light of this, Ava Santina called out Kyrgios in a live interaction with BBC Radio. The journalist also brought up the incident of Serena Williams' outburst at the 2018 US Open and demanded to call the Aussie "hysterical" and a "baby."
"I think it's disgraceful," said Santina. "It's not even about tennis I think, just as a man I would he humiliated if I saw anyone in my life acting like that, utterly disgraceful. The thing that really bothers me about is that Serena Williams at the 2018, in the Us Open, she was called hysterical when she lost her match. She broke her tennis racket, fine, she was angry. But, why are not we calling him hysterical? Why are not we calling him the baby that he is?"
During the 2018 US Open final against Naomi Osaka, Serena Williams smashed her racket. The tantrum cost her a point penalty and sparked a dispute with the chair umpire, calling him a liar and a thief. The insinuation and insult ultimately resulted in another violation and an automatic game penalty. Shortly afterwards, she lost the match, sparking a spiraling debate over racism and sexism in the sport.
Nick Kyrgios eyes a big run at Wimbledon
To reach the 2022 Wimbledon Championships quarterfinals, Nick Kyrgios squared off against American Brandon Nakashima in the fourth round on Monday and he triumphed with a final score of 4-6, 6-4, 7-6(2), 3-6, 6-2.
Thus, the 27-year-old advanced to his first major quarterfinal since the 2015 Australian Open and third overall. He will now lock horns with Cristian Garin to take one step closer to the title.
He will be eager to put up another performance at Wimbledon, where he established himself as a rising star in 2014. He pulled off one of the biggest upsets of the tournament that year when he beat Rafael Nadal to make it to the quarterfinals. If things go in his favor, the Aussie is on course to face the Spaniard in the semifinals at SW19 this year.
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