Nick Kyrgios turns air blue in Australian Open press conference and wants rule change | Tennis | Sport

The two partnered each other en route to victory in the same competition at the 2022 Australian Open, but it wasn’t to be for them this time around. It was compatriots Marc Polmans and Jason Kubler who inflicted the damage on Kokkinakis and Kyrgios, with the latter sporting heavy strapping on his knee.

The defeat wasn’t without controversy though, as in the deciding 10-point tiebreak, a let was called on Kokkinakis’ serve. He and Kyrgios were fuming at the officials, as they believed it had instead cleared the net.

To rub salt in the wound, Kubler and Polmans requested a video review after it was alleged Kokkinakis made contact with the ball on the wrong side of the net. It was granted, meaning Kubler and Polmans banked another point en route to victory.

Unhappy with the officiating, Kyrgios turned the air blue during his post-match press conference, asking: “Why are you smiling?” when a reporter quizzed him on the let call. He went on to add: “You know what the issue is. How can you review a ball that’s been hit over the net, but you can’t review a serve over the net?

“Doesn’t make any f****** sense. Like, that’s why I’m p***** off. Like, we’re playing for millions of dollars. We’ve been both injured, both trying to get to this stage. Some of these rules are just so, so, so dumb. They don’t make sense. Yeah, so how can you not review a let? How can you not review that? How can you not just watch a ball just go over the net? How dumb does that sound.”

The 30-year-old demanded a rule change as he added: “It sucks. For me personally, I put in a lot of work. I’m probably in some of the best shape I’ve been in for a while. It just p***** me off that we go out there and compete, and some of these rules are just so ‘gray area-ed.’

“In my opinion, like, he’s trying to serve, what he’s [Kokkinakis] got left, he hits a great serve to start the tiebreak. It’s a horrendous call by the referee, horrendous. No let, all that. We do so much hard work to get out there. To feel like you’re hard done by. I’m not saying that’s the reason we lost. Like obviously Kubes and Polmans, they’re great players. Just p***** me off because, like, now we both have to go back to the drawing board.”