"Disgusting behaviour, fans need to show some respect" - Nick Kyrgios reacts to fans calling Daniil Medvedev 'loser' after Canadian Open 2R exit
Nick Kyrgios has expressed his disappointment at a fan calling Daniil Medvedev a "loser" following his second-round exit at the hands of the Aussie himself at the 2022 Canadian Open.
Medvedev, who entered the tournament as the top seed and the defending champion, failed to successfully defend his title, falling in three sets in unexpected fashion to the former World No. 13. Despite Kyrgios' red-hot form, the Russian was heavily favored to go through to the next round, but ultimately lost 7-6(1), 4-6, 2-6.
National Bank Open Presented by Rogers - 2nd Round: @NickKyrgios beat Daniil Medvedev 6-7, 6-4, 6-2 #nationalbankopen @NBOtoronto https://t.co/BJUo971bfj
A video surfaced on Twitter later, where Medvedev was seen walking out of the stadium in Montreal while a group of fans chanted 'loser' at him, unable to cope with the Russian's loss.
Medvedev responded by going over to the fans who were making a mockery of him and responding to them firmly. While what he said in the video is completely inaudible, given the circumstances, it was undoubtedly not anything calm, and sparked a huge argument.
Eventually, the reigning US Open champion left after the security team handled the matter with the utmost caution.
🏻God, how awful can fans be when they chant ‘loser’ to a tennis player after a tough battle on the court 👎🏻
Achieve something yourself in this life..
Having respect for another person is an important rule of a human being. https://t.co/raFBQ8AXN7
Given this, Nick Kyrgios used Twitter to voice his displeasure over the unfortunate incident. The Australian described the whole matter as "disgusting," adding that fans should be more empathetic and respectful.
"Disgusting behaviour. This is the best we have in the sport, fans need to show some respect," the Aussie tweeted.
Disgusting behaviour ☹️ This is the best we have in the sport, fans need to show some respect. twitter.com/dmedvedevfans/…
Along with Kyrgios, tennis player-turned-analyst Rennae Stubbs also voiced her thoughts on the matter on Twitter, claiming that fans should not even attend the match if they were going to behave this way after their favorites lose.
"If fans feel the need to yell stuff like this to tennis players after they lose or after they win, you need to NOT ever come to a tennis tournament. You’re not a fan, you’re the loser, " Stubbs tweeted.
If fans feel the need to yell stuff like this to tennis players after they lose or after they win, u need to NOT ever come to a tennis tournament. You’re not a fan, you’re the loser. twitter.com/dmedvedevfans/…
Daniil Medvedev might lose his No.1 ranking following the conclusion of the 2022 Cincinnati Masters
Meanwhile, Daniil Medvedev is at risk of losing his No. 1 ranking following the conclusion of the upcoming Cincinnati Open. The Russian's defeat to Nick Kyrgios in the second round this week in Montreal led to this turn of events.
Due to not being able to successfully defend his title at the ATP 1000 event, Medvedev now faces the possibility of losing his hold on the top spot to Rafael Nadal. The Spaniard will be playing for the first time since pulling out of the 2022 Wimbledon semifinals due to an abdominal injury.
BUT, Rafael Nadal now has a corridor to #1.
*If* Nadal wins Cincinnati and Medvedev loses early, Nadal could be #1 for the US Open.
However, for that to happen, Nadal would have to win the Cincinnati Open and Medvedev would have to go home before the quarterfinals, which seems quite unlikely.