"I'm a heavy asthmatic, probably not something I want to be breathing in in between points" - Nick Kyrgios on his complaints of smelling marijuana during 2022 US Open 2R win
Matches involving Nick Kyrgios usually feature a few talking points besides his on-court performances, and that trend continued on Wednesday night. During his 2022 US Open second-round match against Benjamin Bonzi, the Australian complained to the chair umpire about the whiff of marijuana being in the air at the Louis Armstrong Stadium.
Leading 4-3 in the second set, Kyrgios asked the umpire to issue a warning to the crowd claiming that he saw someone smoking marijuana. The chair official did not respond, as he thought the Aussie was complaining about the smell of food.
"You don’t even want to remind anyone not to do it? It was f–king marijuana. Obviously I’m not going to be complaining about food stuff. Obviously not," he was heard shouting during the match.
Following this verbal exchange, the umpire addressed the crowd.
“Ladies and gentlemen, a reminder that you cannot smoke on court,” he announced.
Speaking at his post-match press conference, Kyrgios addressed the incident by saying that he was asthmatic and was struggling to breathe.
"Yeah, people don't know. I'm a heavy asthmatic. When I'm running side to side, I'm struggling to breathe, probably not something I want to be breathing in in between points," he said.
Nick Kyrgios just complained to the chair umpire at @usopen that he smelled marijuana coming from the crowd https://t.co/eYDQXOb2rq
The 27-year-old then spoke about how different the atmosphere was when playing at the US Open, compared to other Majors.
"US Open, it's a very different vibe to everywhere else. I feel like Wimbledon was so proper. Australian Open, you kind of expect it there, being an Aussie. But here, it's just like noisy. Point in, point out, I can't barely hear. Half the time I can't even hear my team because it's so noisy all the time," he said.
The Aussie then went on to explain how tough it is to focus on the showcourts in the final Major of the season.
"Ashe was unbelievably noisy. I couldn't hear anything. Constant jitter. Things going off, sirens. In Armstrong today, hearing trains and people. For someone that's struggled to focus in my career, I'm really trying hard to put my head down and play point by point, try to dig myself out of some certain situations," he said.
"It's hard because there's a lot of distractions. Obviously a lot of heckling going on as well. People are saying things. I got to be very careful with what I say these days," he added.
Nick Kyrgios to face JJ Wolf in the third round of 2022 US Open
Nick Kyrgios got past Frenchman Benjamin Bonzi 7-6(3), 6-4, 4-6, 6-4 on Wednesday. He ended the hard-fought match in style, winning the last nine points of the contest to seal the victory and his place in the third round of the 2022 US Open.
Up next for the World No. 25 is American JJ Wolf, a clash he is eagerly looking forward to.
"He's got a massive game. I love the way he plays tennis. I love the fact that he has a big serve, tries to take it to the opposition. Serves big and plays big. He's a great guy as well. I got to know him in Houston this year. He has an infectious personality. We always chat when we're in the locker room," Kyrgios said at his post-match press conference.
"With a game like that, he's going to have some great results. Obviously he seems like a hard worker, as well. Just happy to be here. Every time I see him, he has a smile on his face. I'm expecting an incredibly hard match. I know it's not going to be easy at all. I'm going into that probably the favorite, but I'm not going to take him lightly at all. I know he's beaten some great players," he added.
Mood.
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