First, there was the woman in the Wimbledon final who, in Nick Kyrgios’ estimation, looked like…700 drinks, bro.This time, it was the scent of herbs that released the flammable Aussie.
Kyrgios was deep in the second set of his second-round match against Benjamin Ponzi on Wednesday night at the US Open when he turned to the referee and started complaining about the smell of marijuana in the air at Louis Armstrong Stadium.
On set and at 4-3 on the serve per second, Kyrgios asked the referee to issue a warning to the audience after claiming he had seen and smelled someone smoking marijuana. On his way to his seat while changing places, the 27-year-old sniped, “You don’t even want to remind anyone not to?”
The referee seemed to think that Kyrios was complaining about the smell of food, even though that didn’t do well with the perpetual star.
Kyrgios replied, “It was marijuana for the king.” “Obviously I wouldn’t complain about the food. Obviously not.
“Obviously when athletes run alongside and already have asthma, it probably isn’t ideal.”
The referee addressed the audience when the two players returned to their respective baseline, saying, “Ladies and gentlemen, a reminder that you cannot smoke on the court.”
Kyrgios then went on to finish the second set on the Frenchman 6-4.
However, this wasn’t his last blast. Kyrgios issued a warning code of conduct for spitting on the field after breaking it late in the third set, which he then lost 6-4.
“People don’t know. I have severe asthma,” Kyrgios said afterwards. “When I run side by side, I find it hard to breathe, maybe not something I want to breathe in between the dots.
“Yeah, the US Open, it’s a very different atmosphere than anywhere else. I feel like Wimbledon was very appropriate. The Australian Open, you kind of expect it there, being Australian. But here, it’s like it’s rowdy. Point, point, I can hardly hear. Half the time I can’t even hear my team because it’s so loud all the time….Constant instability.Things go off, sirens….For someone who struggles to focus in my career, I’m trying really hard to put my head down Down and play point by point, trying to get myself out of some particular situation. It’s hard because there are a lot of distractions. Obviously a lot of harassment happens too. People say things. I have to be very careful what I say these days.”
It’s also not the first time Kyrgios has found himself in the middle of a marijuana controversy at the US Open.
Six years ago, he caused an uproar during the tournament when he responded to a Twitter follower and said that players on the tour were allowed to smoke marijuana. A WADA spokesperson later confirmed this as well, saying that while it is prohibited during competition, it is not banned outside of play.
This year, he faces more serious matters. in july, He was accused of assaulting an ex-girlfriend. The case is scheduled to take place in October in Australia. he is too They are being sued for defamation Written by Anna Palos, the Polish lawyer and the woman he accused of getting drunk at Wimbledon.
Meanwhile, Kyrgios played on the court the best tennis of his career this year.
He reached his first Grand Slam final earlier this summer at Wimbledon, winning the first set against Novak Djokovic only to lose the next three. But at his next tournament a few weeks later, he won the singles and doubles titles on the same day at the Citi Open in Washington, D.C., running the entire tournament unbroken.
Wednesday, Kyrgios also finished easily on Bonzi, 7-6 (3), 6-4, 4-6, 6-4, racking up 30 aces along the way, to advance to the third round of the US Open for the fifth time in his career. . Next on Kyrgios is JJ Wolf on Friday as he tries to advance to the fourth round in Flushing for the first time.
“The Wimbledon final was a turning point I think for me mentally,” Kyrgios said. “If I won that match, I don’t know where my motivation was. Losing it and being so close, it was really hard for me to swallow that.”
“For me, personally, I didn’t think I’d put that much pressure on myself. … To be honest, I almost don’t know who I am, because that’s not me. You try to balance so many different things. … It’s just too much.” Yes, it is exhausting.”
The good news for Kyrgios? Marijuana is legal in New York, so there is little chance for anyone to sue for defamation.