
via Getty
Nick Kyrgios of Australia looks on during his Men’s Singles fourth round match against Rafael Nadal of Spain on day eight of the 2020 Australian Open at Melbourne Park in Melbourne, Australia. (Photo by Kelly Defina/Getty Images)

via Getty
Nick Kyrgios of Australia looks on during his Men’s Singles fourth round match against Rafael Nadal of Spain on day eight of the 2020 Australian Open at Melbourne Park in Melbourne, Australia. (Photo by Kelly Defina/Getty Images)
Australian tennis superstar Nick Kyrgios is an animated personality on the court. He often gets himself involved in one controversy or the other, and his return to tennis after a year’s lay-off didn’t disappoint as Kyrgios received a time violation that didn’t still well with the 25-year-old!
Nick Kyrgios is currently competing at the ATP Murray River Open, where he took on compatriot Harry Bourchier in the second-round.
Kyrgios surpassed Bourchier’s challenge in a two-setter, but the match was filled with controversy as the former Australian Open quarter-finalist was handed a serve violation!
ADVERTISEMENT
Article continues below this ad
Nick Kyrgios refused to return to the court and felt he was the victim of a shabby call
Tennis players have 25-seconds on the clock to perform their service routine. If the clock runs out without the player taking his/her motion, the chair umpire will award a violation, and that’s what happened during Kyrgios’ second-round game against Bourchier.
After winning the first set in emphatic fashion, Kyrgios’ momentum was put to a halt in the second when the umpire accused him of running the 25-second clock down. The official awarded him a violation, but the Aussie wasn’t too pleased with the call.
Drama Down Under 😬
Kyrgios didn't enjoy receiving a time violation for this…#MurrayRiverOpen pic.twitter.com/9UHOlnWfZV
— Tennis TV (@TennisTV) February 3, 2021
As one can see in the clip, Nick Kyrgios gets into motion before the time runs out, but the chair umpire felt otherwise and awarded a serve violation. This resulted in drama on the court as an unhappy Kyrgios refused to agree with the call.
Nick Kyrgios refusing to play due to the time violation he got served…#AusOpen pic.twitter.com/HZqnsrX5HO
— TennisNerds (@TennisNerdsBlog) February 3, 2021
He stuck to his instincts and claimed that he’d got into a service motion before the time ran out, which is absolutely legal. But a back-and-forth with the chair umpire resulted in Kyrgios’ brief retirement from the game!
Kyrgios passed harsh comments about the chair umpire
An unhappy Kyrgios did what he would always do when he got upset. He began ranting on the court, and the chair umpire found himself at the receiving end of those rants. Kyrgios sat out of the match and it took some persuasion to get him to play again.
The 25-year-old was visibly unhappy with the call and felt it was a legit service motion that he attempted. Alas, the umpire had already made the call.
ADVERTISEMENT
Article continues below this ad
“I’ve lost enough money to these peanuts (umpires),” said a fired-up Kyrgios. He wasn’t convinced with how things were being handled and called out for the match’s supervisor to come out and sort the issue.

via Getty
Nick Kyrgios of Australia looks on during in his fourth round match against Rafael Nadal of Spain on day eight of the 2020 Australian Open at Melbourne Park on January 27, 2020 in Melbourne, Australia. (Photo by James D. Morgan/Getty Images)
While it immediately didn’t get him into trouble, Kyrgios’ remarks about the chair umpire were noted. “Tennis isn’t about him. He’s an extra to make all this shit go smoothly, so why is he doing this?” Kyrgios fumed.
ADVERTISEMENT
Article continues below this ad
However, the match resumed after a brief pause. Even chair umpire didn’t overturn his decision, Kyrgios finished what he started. His momentum was disrupted, but the 25-year-old went on to win the match 6-2, 7-6 (9-7).
ALSO READ- 4-Time Grand Slam Champion Weighs In on Nick Kyrgios’ Chances at Australian Open 2021
ADVERTISEMENT
ADVERTISEMENT
ADVERTISEMENT
ADVERTISEMENT