"One thing I won’t ever tolerate is spectators heckling and blasting abuse to athletes; It’s been happening personally to me for a while" - Nick Kyrgios on racist abuse during Stuttgart Open SFs
Nick Kyrgios has lashed out against the racist abuse that he and other sportspeople are often subjected to, in a heartfelt note shortly after his Stuttgart Open loss. The Australian revealed that he faced such abuse in the semi-finals in Stuttgart on Saturday, which was not the first instance of the same, in his career.
During the match against Andy Murray, Kyrgios had an on-court meltdown after losing the first set and subsequently received a game penalty after going a break down in the second set. In a short message on social media moments after the match, Kyrgios admitted that he understands some fans may not like his ways, but crossing the line into racial abuse is uncalled for.
The Australian then took to Instagram again to further speak out against the repeated incidents.
"Yes, I’m human, I don’t deal with my emotions well all the time. I stopped caring about what people thought and their opinion on what I should be."
"But one thing I won’t ever tolerate is spectators heckling and blasting abuse to athletes. It’s been happening personally to me for a while, from racist comments to complete disrespect."
Kyrgios admitted that he often does not care about other people's opinions of him, but still plays the game to entertain the fans. Being subjected to such comments, despite that, is something he is affected by, and called for a stop to racial abuse not just in tennis but in other sports as well. Kyrgios further revealed that he was abused during the Indian Wells Masters as well. He said:
"For years it’s been something I’ve brushed off but especially in Indian wells and today all the way in Stuttgart, it’s made me realise that people seem to think it’s normal."
"Im seeing it happen in other sports, and to many other athletes. We are playing FOR YOU, whether you are backing the opponent or not. You may not think it’s a big deal, but it could affect someone’s life more than you think."
The Aussie player then sent a message of solidarity to athletes all over the world.
Nick Kyrgios concluded:
"My young athletes, coloured or not, I hope that this message is heard so you don’t ever have to feel alienated, or embarrassed to be you and to perform on the world stage."
Nick Kyrgios says he heard racial slurs from the Stuttgart crowd earlier today. https://t.co/hdBktmz6Yq
"We have expressed our regret towards Nick Kyrgios; Incident is under investigation" - Stuttgart Open organizers
In light of Nick Kyrgios' revelation, tournament organizers expressed their disappointment regarding the incident and promised a thorough investigation into the matter. They released a media statement expressing their stance on the same.
The statement read:
"No discriminating actions by the spectators are accepted. We have expressed our regret towards Nick Kyrgios and his team and assured that any kind of discrimination is unacceptable. The incident is currently under investigation."
Statement from Boss Open in response to Kyrgios’ post about receiving racial slurs from the crowd during his SF v Murray:
We have expressed our regret towards Nick Kyrgios and his team and assured that any kind of discrimination is unacceptable. Incident is under investigation. https://t.co/J6J5tmAlUg
Kyrgios and Murray played a very competitive opening set, which was decided by a tiebreak won by the Brit. Kyrgios lost his cool soon after and smashed his racquet as he went to his chair.
After being broken in the opening game of the second set, Kyrgios received a point penalty and a game penalty for unsportsmanlike conduct in quick succession. Murray then never let go of his control in the match and won 7-6(5), 6-2.
Kyrgios will now look to turn his focus towards the Halle Open, which will be his final tournament in the build-up to Wimbledon. The World No. 78 is scheduled to face Daniel Altmaier in the Round of 32 in Halle.
That forehand tho 🤯 @NickKyrgios
@theweissenhof | #BOSSOPEN https://t.co/OCuG7cSZC6
He recorded his joint-best result at a Grand Slam at Wimbledon by reaching the quarterfinals in 2014.