Nick Kyrgios Picture Credit: Twitter
Former World No. 1 Andy Murray defeated Nick Kyrgios 7-6(5), 6-2 to reach his first tour-level final on grass since 2016 at the BOSS OPEN on Saturday in Stuttgart. But towards the end of the match, Kyrgios claimed that he was attacked with racial slurs. The Australian was also seen constantly complaining to the umpire, then later declined to continue playing by sitting on his chair.
Nick Kyrgios then came back to play as the supervisor came out and convinced him to finish the match. After the match, Kyrgios posted an emotional message on his Instagram addressing how these comments affect athletes on a deeper level as they feel “alienated, or embarrassed to be you and to perform on the world stage.”
“Yes, I’m human, I don’t deal with my emotions well all the time”
“I’m an entertainer. I’ve played this sport since I was 7 years old. I’ve worn my heart on my sleeve ever since I stepped on a tennis court. 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. I play this game to give people a show. But one thing I won’t ever tolerate is spectators heckling and blasting abuse to athletes”, Nick Kyrgios wrote on his post after the incident.
Nick Kyrgios also added that he has been facing this for a while now, claiming, "people seem to think it’s normal."
“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. Wake up to yourselves. Not just in tennis, but in every other sport. 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 added.
Murray enters first final since 2016
Talking about the semi-final, Murray managed to save both break points and dominated while returning in the tie-break to get ahead in an intense first set. Nick Kyrgios then played some pinpoint groundstrokes aggressively and consistently in the second set to race to the finish and advance after one hour and 33 minutes.