It may have only been his second match back on court following a long injury lay-off – but Nick Kyrgios hasn’t taken long to experience another run-in with a chair umpire.
The 31-year-old has been involved in an altercation during a Round of 16 match at the BOSS Open in Stuttgart.
Kyrgios fell short of a second consecutive win, in a nail-biting 6-4 6-7 4-6 loss to Japanese qualifier Sho Shimabukuro.
But despite the brave showing, it has been his behaviour which has again stolen the spotlight.
Kyrgios and the chair umpire butted heads over whether he should have been told vital information in the third set.
The former Wimbledon finalist claimed he should have been told at 1-1 in the third set, that it was the final game before new balls would be introduced.
Nick Kyrgios (pictured) has been involved in an altercation with the chair umpire in his loss at the BOSS Open
Kyrgios (pictured) fell short against a Japanese qualifier in his second match back from injury
Sho Shimabukuro (pictured) defeated Kyrgios in a three-set thriller
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Should star players like Kyrgios be held to the same standards of sportsmanship as everyone else?
‘I don’t know if you’re new or anything, but (for) as long as I’ve been on tour, the game before, it’s been like ‘new balls next game’,’ Kyrgios said.
‘Because that’s courtesy. You know how you hold us accountable, I think we should hold you accountable too, yeah?’
Despite only being broken once across the entire match, Kyrgios fell short of achieving back-to-back wins, for the first time since 2022.
The 31-year-old’s road back to the top of the game has been marred by frequent injuries, which have affected him dearly across the last few seasons.
But so far, he has shown no signs of the wrist reconstruction and four knee surgeries which have kept him off the court for years.
Kyrgios is a former top 15 player, and a former force to be reckoned with on the grass.
He defeated then World No.1 Rafael Nadal back in 2014 at just 19-years-old, in what was his biggest career victory.
The Canberra-born firebrand has also reached a major final at Wimbledon in 2019, before falling to Novak Djokovic in the 2022 championship match.
