Australia’s Nick Kyrgios secured a first-round victory over Argentinia’s Diego Schwartzman in the first round of the Wimbledon tournament, but the win was marred slightly by a verbal spat with an umpire, after a controversial point was awarded.
In the third set of the match, Schwartzman called a challenge on a shot and was eventually awarded the point; Kyrgios, however, was angry, because he had heard a lineswoman call the shot “out”, leading to his quarrel with the umpire.
When Mohammed Layhani replied that the ball was already in the air when the call was made, Kyrgios called for a tournament official, saying he would not continue to play until the situation was clarified.
“That is not the rules,” he said. “I will sit out here and wait. I’m not going to play. I’m going to get him to come out, that’s the rules. Are you serious right now or not? That’s a replay. I’m going back as I hit it she calls out.”
Moments later, Kyrgios was heard muttering the words “dirty scum”, but he says that he was not referring to his opponent or the referee.
The young Aussie went on to a straight-sets victory, and later told media that “there’s a lot of pressure out there, sometimes you get lost in the heat of the moment a little bit.”
“I thought the call was wrong, to be honest,” he continued. “I thought it was a replay. I just wanted to get the guy that was in charge of the referees. He was already sitting out there.”
“I’m not too fussed about the call to be honest, but if it was more a crucial time in the match, or deeper in the tournament, that could swing things. Shouldn’t be something that can be taken lightly. You’ve got to make the right call there.”
“He knew it was a replay, the guy sitting off the court. He ultimately said ‘it’s the ref’s call’. I really couldn’t do anything about it.”
Elsewhere, fellow Australians Lleyton Hewitt, Thanasi Kokkinakis and Marinko Matosevic were knocked out of Wimbledon in the first round. Bernard Tomic, Sam Stosur, Matthew Ebden and John Millman are all through to the second.
via Fairfax
Photo: Clive Brunskill via Getty Images
Photo: Clive Brunskill via Getty Images
