Watch: Nick Kyrgios receives a rare game penalty after argument with chair umpire in 4R loss against Jannik Sinner in Miami
Nick Kyrgios was involved in yet another on-court controversy, this time at the Miami Open. Facing off against Jannik Sinner in the fourth round, the mercurial Australian lost his cool multiple times and went on to throw a temper tantrum that ended up costing him dearly.
The 26-year-old remained in the contest for most of the first set, stretching it to a tie-break after both players held their first six service games. The Australian had been complaining all through the set about the difference in pace between the courts he had played on previously and the one for his last-16 clash with the Italian.
El show de Kyrgios es completo en Miami:
"La cancha es la peor. La gente es de lo peor. Todo es peor cuando estás en la silla [en referencia a Bernardes]"
"Es increíble. Esto es Miami, la cuarta ronda, y no pueden hacer su trabajo. Traigan nuevos árbitros" https://t.co/MU6XbU4nlH
He also ranted about chair umpire Carlos Bernardes for his inability to keep the crowd under control. To add fuel to the fire, the referee's walkie-talkie went off during a crucial point, much to Kyrgios' displeasure. But what pushed him over the edge was the point penalty awarded to him by Carlos Bernardes during the tie-break.
"You should be fired on the spot[...]get rid of every single staff and start over. I could do a 100 times better job."
Kyrgios at the changeover after Bernardes' walkie talkie going off caused him to call a let during a point after Kyrgios had made the return
With Kyrgios trailing 3-5, Bernardes penalized the former World No. 13 for unsportsmanlike conduct to give the Italian three set points. Clearly rattled by the incident, the Australian committed a double fault to hand the set to Sinner.
At the end of the set, Nick Kyrgios walked over to the chair umpire and aggressively demanded an explanation for why he was given the penalty. Bernardes responded that he noticed the 26-year-old talking to the crowd about him, thus marking it down as unsportsmanlike conduct.
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*
Kyrgios retaliated by saying that he was just talking to his friends but the confrontation failed to change the umpire's decision. The Australian took out his anger by repeatedly smashing his racquet to the ground. Having already dealt a point penalty, Carlos Bernardes upped the punishment by handing Nick Kyrgios a rare game penalty for his behavior.
Here is a video of the incident uploaded to Twitter:
The former World No. 13 started the second set 0-1 down as a result and never recovered from the damage of the game penalty. Jannik Sinner went on to break the Australian at 5-3 to take the set and close out the match.
In the quarterfinals, the World No. 11 awaits the winner of the clash between Frances Tiafoe and Francisco Cerundolo.
No one could figure out why @NickKyrgios got a point penalty...and then this happened. Ugh. https://t.co/eXixiOqXb4
Kyrgios also refused to shake the umpire's hand at the end of the match. Instead, he verbally abused Bernardes on his way out of the court, calling him a "f***ing r****d."
Nick Kyrgios remains alive in the doubles category alongside Thanasi Kokkinakis
Nick Kyrgios doesn't have to pack his bags from Miami just yet, as he still has his doubles match to look forward to. Partnering with compatriot Thanasi Kokkinakis to recreate the team that won the Australian Open at the beginning of the year, the wildcard pair have reached the quarterfinals.
Nick Kyrgios gets a game penalty against Jannik Sinner 😮
He was given a point penalty in first set tie-break and at the end of set broke his racquet, which meant he started the second set at 1-0 down 😮
#NickKyrgios #JannikSinner #Miami #Tennis https://t.co/A0kpV2nLTM
Following a walkover from the all-Russian pair of Karen Khachanov and Andrey Rublev, Kyrgios and Kokkinakis will take on third seeds Horacio Zeballos and Marcel Granollers for a spot in the semifinals. The wildcards defeated the same team in the semifinals at Melbourne Park and they will go into the contest as slight favorites.
Also Check Out: Miami Open 2022 Results