Nick Kyrgios’ Wimbledon is off to a dramatic start. Soon after beating the local boy Paul Jubb 3-6, 6-1, 7-5, 6-7 (3), 7-5, Kyrgios was seen spitting in the direction of the fans. Later on, Kyrgios said he carries no remorse for spitting as some spectators kept hassling him throughout the game.

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Kyrgios, who reckons he has already paid half a million pounds for his on-court outbursts, is no stranger to controversy. When the presenter asked him about the incident, Kyrgios questioned the spectators for their provocative antics. 

“Someone just yelled out I was shit in the crowd today. Is that normal? No. But it’s happening over and over again. I think it’s a level of respect. Why do they feel that’s acceptable?” said Kyrgios.

At grand slams, players violating the rules can be fined up to $20,000 for each offence. A decade ago, Romanian tennis star Victor Hanescu had to pay $15,000 for spitting at fans. But Kyrgios is adamant that he did nothing wrong.

“I don’t go into Argos and just start smashing someone at the counter when they’re doing their job. I’ve never done that in my life. I just think spectators think there’s just no line there anymore. They can just say something and they film it and then they laugh about it,” he added.

But this was not the only time Kyrgios had lost his temper. Ten minutes into the game, he lashed out at the lineswoman and told several of them to get off the court. When one line judge complained about this to the chair umpire, Kyrgios was heard calling her a “snitch”. After one of the calls went against him, he yelled, “these people are in their 90s, they can’t see the ball.”

Kyrgios remained unapologetic about this incident too, saying the line judge doesn’t have to face any repercussions if he loses the game. “If I lose a tennis match and it comes down to a call, they’re not getting abused on social media like I have to deal with.”

“I still deal with that but they’re just out there like nothing happened. They’re back out there refereeing, umpiring, but for me, the hate messages, they carry way more weight than just that.”

Image Credit: Photos de Nick à Melbourne