Tuesday 7 July 2015 10:47, UK
Nick Kyrgios furiously denied that he 'tanked' a game against Richard Gasquet as he crashed out of Wimbledon and slammed his image as the bad boy of tennis in terse exchanges with reporters at his post-match press conference.
The temperamental Australian, who missed out on reaching the quarter-finals in a 7-5 6-1 6-7 (7-9) 7-6 (8-6) to Richard Gasquet on Monday, vented his frustration at suggestions he "tanked" a game in the disastrous second set with a string of sarcastic replies.
Gasquet broke in the second game of the second set and Kyrgios responded petulantly, appearing to 'tank' in the next game as he walked in the opposite direction to one Gasquet serve and then gently knocked another return into the net.
A reporter asked: “You didn’t return the serves. It looked like you weren’t trying, which is very unusual at Wimbledon.”
Kyrgios: "Do you want to try to return Richard Gasquet's serve? I'll give you the racquet and we'll see how many times you can return his serve.”
Reporter: “You’re a professional player – I’m not.”
Kyrgios: "He served too good.”
Reporter: “You didn’t even try to return it. You walked away from it. Can I get a proper explanation as to why you didn’t return the serves? Not just a sort of mumbled…one word.”
Kyrgios: "How many aces did he hit that game? One? That game, did he hit one ace? Did he hit one ace?
Reporter: “Is that an explanation? This is ridiculous.”
Another journalist then had a go.
Reporter: “Nick – do you want to deny it? Have I got that right? You don’t want to deny the accusation?”
Kyrgios: “Deny what?”
Reporter: “That you didn’t try in the second game of that set. That’s the accusation we are levelling at you.”
Kyrgios: "No. Of course I tried. He hit a serve past me as an ace. That’s too good, that’s too good. I did move.”
A third reporter then asked: “Are you concerned they might fine you?”
Kyrgios: "It’s an opinon I guess. If they decide to fine me, they can fine me."
Reporter: “You spoke to the umpire didn’t you after that game. You suggested you were taking your socks off?”
Kyrgios: “Oh man, that was just funny I thought.”
At one point during the Gasquet defeat, Kyrgios cuddled a ball boy.
Kyrgios said: "I just felt like a hug, I guess. Everyone now and then wants a hug. It hurts. I expected more out of myself. I feel like I've let people down."
Andy Murray, who endured his own testy relationship with the press in his younger years, said veteran Australian tennis stars could steer Kyrgios on the right path.
"The most important thing is to try to be yourself. I don't think people always appreciate how difficult it is to grow up under the spotlight," the Scot said.
"I like Nick. He'll find his way, for sure. But he'll hopefully have good people around him that can help him, people that have experienced being on the tour. Guys like Lleyton Hewitt and Pat Rafter. I'm sure in the next few years he'll start to calm down a bit."
Meanwhile Gasquet said he had nothing to complain about from Kyrgios's alleged 'tanking'.
"Sometimes it happens. He's not the only one to have done it. Even the best player in the world did it in the past. It's true, he gave me a little bit this set," he said.
"I don't know what happened. He was a little bit frustrated."
