Direct comparison with Rafael Nadal: Nick Kyrgios defends himself via Instagram video
Nick Kyrgios responded to the discussions surrounding his last escapade at the ATP Masters 1000 in Cincinnati with an Instagram video. The Australian compared himself to Rafael Nadal and stuck to his opinion that the Spaniard was preferred by chair umpires.
by tennisnet.com
last edit: Aug 18, 2019, 12:22 pm
The 24-year-old's posting featured two scenes showing both Kyrgios and Nadal between two rallies. Kyrgios had to serve after about 28 seconds to avoid exceeding the shot clock. In the case of Nadal, the clock only ran after over 40 seconds.
What can not be seen in the video: Nadal behaved correctly in the scene, but the shot clock was obviously activated by the referee significantly later.
In his match against Karen Khachanov in Cincinnati, in which Kyrgios was subsequently sentenced to fines of more than $ 100,000 , he already complained that Nadal would never be put under so much pressure by the shot clock. "If Rafa plays so fast, I will step back from tennis!" He scolded. "If you find recordings that Rafa is playing on so quickly, I'll keep my mouth shut forever."
Nick Kyrgios: Blocked by the ATP?
Kyrgios alludes to the uneven handling of the shot clock. Dominic Thiem also criticized the handling a few weeks ago. "The referee determines when the shot clock starts. It should all be made a bit more uniform. I guess it's still a confusion," said Thiem.
Kyrgios lost to Khachanov in the second round despite set lead with 7: 6 (3), 6: 7 (4), 2: 6. After the defeat, he refused to shake hands with referee Fergus Murphy. Due to other past misconduct, the ATP could even block it for a while.
"In addition to the fines, ATP reserves the right to initiate further investigations into the match to assess whether further sanctions are required under the regulations. This could result in further penalties or suspensions," said the ATP in a statement.