Nick Kyrgios has been reacting to Andrey Rublev’s explosive third-round loss to Matteo Arnaldi.
Whilst the Italian performed admirably, and was good value for his straight-sets victory, the clash was marred by the eccentric and wholly unnecessary antics of the Belarusian, who ranted and raved throughout the 7-6(6), 6-2, 6-4 drubbing.
Kicking his chair and obliterating racket after racket, it was the work of a truly unhinged performer, his stage the tennis court.
For years not many have questioned, with genuine fear for his mental health, what goes on inside his head.
But for Nick Kyrgios, the sympathy he garners is rather hypocritical given the animosity his own antics have provoked over the years.
Nick Kygrios reacts to Andrey Rublev’s outbursts
Taking to X, the Australian, who has been out injured since 2022, was rather frank in his assessment of the Roland Garros flashpoint.
With Kyrgios closing in on a comeback to tennis, we all hope to see him return to his colourful and eclectic ways with some speed.
However, in doing so he will likely hope to be treated with the same care that many exercise with Rublev, as he wrote: ‘Funny how we pick and choose when we ask ‘could see your emotions on court and how much it meant to you’ compared to ‘disgrace’ (disrespect)’.
And this is not the first time we have seen Rublev lose it in recent years.
In fact, twice already has the 26-year-old shown his ugly side in key matches, first in March and later in April.
The former saw him disqualified for screaming at a line judge, and even if his ranking points and prize money were later reinstated, he hardly endeared himself to fans when he imploded after losing to Brandon Nakashima.
His racket was smashed no less than six times, and until winning in Madrid, against all the odds, it felt like he would never recover from his middle-Eastern tirade which saw him thrown out of a tournament.
Nick Kygrios’ funniest moments on court
As he implies, were it to have been Kyrgios exhibiting such behaviour, he would have been vilified to the extreme.
Although, over the years he has had his fair share of controversial moments, with most bringing a smile to those willing to accept him for who he is.
‘Do I tell him how to act?’ He infamously asked one fan, pointing at famous movie star Ben Stiller. The supporter in question had clearly been heckling him all afternoon, and this retort drew a laugh from the crowd.
So too did his 2017 French Open campaign, which imploded in spectacular fashion and even saw him ask for a beer mid-match whilst losing to South African Kevin Anderson.
Naturally, there have been some more unsavoury examples, but as the years have gone on those have become far less frequent.
Hopefully, upon his comeback from injury, he can retain that unpredictable charm whilst eradicating the anger to help put his clear talent to good use.
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