It didn’t take long — just two games in fact — but Nick Kyrgios was back to his prickly best on John Cain Arena at the Australian Open on Monday evening [AEDT].
Down a break at 0-2 in the first set against Portugal’s Frederico Ferreira Silva, Kyrgios turned his attention to his player’s box, loudly exclaiming: “Tell your girlfriend to get out of my box!”
It’s unclear who exactly he was referring to, but it proved the catalyst for a quick turnaround in fortunes; Kyrgios quickly broke back and evened the contest at 2-2, then muttering under his breath: “Wonder why?”
“Tell your girlfriend to get out of my box!” 😂
Add another classic Nick Kyrgios moment to the list. 🗒
WATCH: @Channel9
STREAM: https://t.co/ykPpc0k2wf#9WWOS #AusOpen pic.twitter.com/ul2PWBlaFQ— Wide World of Sports (@wwos) February 8, 2021
From there, the Australian was well on his way to taking a 5-4 lead in the set before again halting proceedings, this time berating a member of the crowd for speaking between his opponent’s first and second serves.
“Be quiet bro, have some respect for the kid,” Kyrgios said.
He approached the chair umpire after the game, asking him loudly if he was going to do anything about it.
Kyrgios went on to take the first set 6-4.
The match continues.