Nick Kyrgios almost hit a ball kid in the face with his racket after losing to Rafael Nadal.- A frustrated Kyrgios smashed his racket to the ground sending it careering towards the kid.
Nick Kyrgios smashed his racket in frustration after losing to Rafael Nadal at the
Kyrgios played out an epic three-hour-long, three set match against the Australian Open champion in California, but fell just short of the win, losing 7-6, 5-7, 6-4 to the 21-time Grand Slam winner.
Afterwards, Kyrgios let his frustrations boil over.
After shaking hands with Nadal and preparing to leave the court, Kyrgios pulled one of the oldest angry
Footage from the incident shows the ball kid dodging out of the way of the flying racket, which hit the back of the court at head height. Had the ball kid not been paying attention, the racket would have almost certainly hit him in the head or face.
Video posted on social media shows the incident unfolding. You can watch it below:
—Billy Bang (@villievang) March 18, 2022
Speaking to the press after the match, Kyrgios became defensive when asked about the incident.
Kyrgios first derided the question, before clapping the journalist in mock adulation. His answer to the question also contained at least one false statement about what happened on the court.
"Are you aware how close you came to hitting the ball boy with your racket after the match, and do you have something to say about it?" — Kyrgios was asked.
Kyrgios replied at length, saying: "What would you like me to say about it? Obviously was that my intention? No. Did I throw the racket anywhere near him originally? It landed a meter from my foot and skidded and nearly hit him.
"I'm human. Things happen like that. Obviously it was a very misfortunate bounce. I think if I did it a million times over it wouldn't have gone that way," he continued.
"What do you want me to say? It was three meters away from the kid," Kyrgios added, despite footage showing that the racket was significantly closer than three meters away.
"That's a question you're gonna say after a three-hour battle against Nadal?"
The reporter who asked the question then attempted to interject saying: "I saw a kid duck," at which point Kyrgios cut him off.
"A duck? He ducked? He ducked? He ducked? He ducked? Jesus. Well alright, if that's what you're gonna come in here to come ask me: It didn't hit him, it was an accident."
"Thankfully the ball kid's OK. Great question though, unbelievable stuff, congratulations man," he finished, clapping sarcastically.
The tale had a happy ending, however, with Kyrgios apologizing on social media to the ball kid, and agreeing to give him a racket as a token of good will.
—Nicholas Kyrgios (@NickKyrgios) March 18, 2022
During the match with Nadal, Kyrgios also clashed with a spectator, even pulling Hollywood actor Ben Stiller into the argument.
"Are you playing? Are you good at tennis? Exactly, so why are you speaking?" Kyrgios asked a heckler in the crowd
Kyrgios then turned and pointed to another part of the crowd, where Stiller was sitting with his family. Gesturing with his racket, Kyrgios asked the fan: "Do I tell him how to act? No."