The top ATP star Nick Kyrgios said had ‘serious issues’ after their ‘circus’ match at Wimbledon three years ago

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Nick Kyrgios has been involved in plenty of controversial moments during his time on the ATP Tour.

The Aussie ATP star is never afraid to make headlines on and off the tennis court, becoming one of the sport’s biggest names over recent years.

Having missed over a year and a half of action through injury, Kyrgios returned to tennis ahead of this year’s Australian Open.

Kyrgios lost to Jacob Fearnley in the first round, 6-7, 3-6, 6-7 before falling to defeat in the doubles competition alongside his partner Thanasi Kokkinakis.

Having struggled with injuries in Melbourne, Kyrgios suggested he may never return to play singles at his home Grand Slam tournament.

Off the court, the 29-year-old has continued to make noise, as Kyrgios’ criticism of world number one Jannik Sinner continued following the announcement of the Italian’s three-month ban.

Sinner isn’t the only top tennis star Kyrgios has had an issue with, however, as things got very heated at SW19 three years ago.

Nick Kyrgios said Stefanos Tsitsipas had ‘serious issues’ at Wimbledon three years ago

The Australian star was enjoying a strong tournament at Wimbledon in 2022 when he faced off against Stefanos Tsitsipas.

Kyrgios and Tsitsipas had played one another four times previously on the ATP Tour, as the former led the head-to-head 3-1.

Their fifth encounter was an intense one from the very off, as the pair engaged in several ferocious rallies during the first set.

At 5-5, an overruled line call left Kyrgios incensed, unloading on umpire Damien Dumusois before his Greek opponent clinched the first, 7-6.

The drama continued into the second as a late break for Kyrgios frustrated Tsitsipas, as he launched the ball toward the crowd.

With the match level at 1-1, Kyrgios demanded the fourth seed be defaulted, as he again engaged in heated discussions with Dumusois.

“It’s a default bro,” said Kyrgios.

“So you can hit a ball into the crowd and hit someone and not get defaulted?”

Two more incidents in the third set left Tsitsipas raging, hitting the ball away after a Kyrgios underarm serve, before smashing the ball toward Kyrgios later in the set.

Kyrgios eventually came through to win, 6-7, 6-4, 6-3, 7-6, in a fiery encounter on Wimbledon’s Centre Court.

A frosty handshake at the net was perhaps expected before the pair exchanged words during their post-match press conferences.

“It felt kind of like a circus, in a way,” said Tsitsipas.

“The constant talking, the constant complaining, there comes a point where you really get tired of it, let’s say.

“Yeah, it’s just like frustrating to see that people just get away with that, it’s frustrating.”

Tsitsipas then admitted fault for his behavior during the match, although he did suggest it was the Kyrgios ‘circus’ that drove him to act in such a way.

“I have to say it was really bad from my side, I have never done that before, throwing the ball outside the court in that way,” he said.

“I did apologize to the people, I don’t know what went through my head at that time.

“I think also he’s part, you know, with all the circus show going on on the other side of the net, it started to become very tiring, in a way.

“You know, it’s just like, that happened, I didn’t hit any people, it did hit the wall, thank God.

“For sure I’m never doing that again, it’s my responsibility, for sure.

“But there was also something that created that behavior that I’m not used to see myself.”

Tsitsipas then made comments on Kyrgios’ character that stirred up quite the reaction.

“It’s constant bullying, that’s what he does,” he said.

“He bullies the opponents, he was probably a bully at school himself.

“He has some good traits in his character, as well but he also has a very evil side to him, which if it’s exposed, it can really do a lot of harm and bad to the people around him.”

Entering the media room after Tsitsipas, Kyrgios gave his immediate reaction to the Greek’s ‘bullying’ claims.

“I don’t know what to say, I’m not sure how I bullied him,” he said.

“He was the one hitting balls at me, he was the one that hit a spectator, he was the one that smacked it out of the stadium.

“I didn’t do anything, I was actually like, apart from me just going back and forth to the umpire for a bit, I did nothing towards Stefanos [Tsitsipas] today that was disrespectful, I don’t think.”

Kyrgios then commented on Tsitsipas’ relationships with other players in the locker room, as he suggested the two-time Slam finalist had some ‘issues.’

“I just think he’s making that match about me, like he’s got some serious issues, like serious,” he said.

“I’m good in the locker room, I’ve got many friends, just to let you know. 

“I’m actually one of the most liked, he’s not liked, let’s just put that there.”

Kyrgios finished off by suggesting that Tsitsipas was ‘soft’, comments that may well have angered the Greek.

“He’s that soft, to come in here and say I bullied him, that’s just soft,” he said.

“We’re not cut from the same cloth, I go up against guys who are true competitors.

“If he’s affected by that today, then that’s what’s holding him back because someone can just do that and that’s going to throw him off his game like that, I just think it’s soft.”

Nick Kyrgios’ run to the 2022 Wimbledon final

Having beaten Tsitsipas in the third round, Kyrgios continued on as he enjoyed his best-ever performance at a Major tournament.

Helped by a walk-over in the semi-finals, the Aussie reached his first Grand Slam final, where he faced off against the legendary Novak Djokovic.

The Serb hadn’t lost at SW19 since 2017, although he looked in trouble early on against Kyrgios as he dropped the first set, 4-6.

In typical Djokovic fashion, he battled back, taking the second and third sets, 6-3, 6-4, putting him on the brink of a fourth consecutive Wimbledon crown.

With tension high in the fourth set breaker, it was Djokovic who came out on top, lifting the trophy high on Centre Court.

Kyrgios had come as close as ever to Grand Slam glory, narrowly coming up short on the biggest of occasions.

Perhaps 2025 will be the Aussie’s year, as he looks to return to Wimbledon when the tournament kicks off on June 30.