NICK KYRGIOS admitted spitting towards a fan who “disrespected” him in a stormy Wimbledon win.
The Aussie hothead was tested to the limit by Brit Paul Jubb in a tetchy five-setter.
And he ended up spitting at a fan he claims “disrespected” him[/caption]
Kyrgios played the winning shot and then aimed a mouthful of spit in the direction of the section of the Court No 3 crowd where he claimed abusive comments came from.
When asked if the action was deliberate, the 2014 quarter-finalist said: “Of one of the people disrespecting me, yes.
“I would not be doing that to someone who was supporting me.”
Kyrgios, 27, also vented his anger at line judges and smashed a ball out of the grounds as he struggled for form against York-born Jubb, 22.
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He added: “A lot of disrespect was being thrown from the crowds.
“I’m just starting to think it’s normal when it’s really not.
“I didn’t say anything to the crowd until they started just every time I came down the far end.
“Someone yelled out I was s**t in the crowd. I don’t understand why it’s happening over and over.
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“Because there’s a fence there — and I physically can’t do anything or say anything as I’ll get in trouble — they feel they’re able to say what they want.”
Kyrgios said he complained to the match umpire about the behaviour of the supporters.
SW19 chiefs will await her report but it is likely that Kyrgios will be fined around £16,500 for the spitting.
The unseeded ace also lodged an official complaint of racial abuse at the Stuttgart Open earlier this month.
He said: “I’m OK with receiving a lot of it. But as soon as I give it back, for instance in Stuttgart, I got a game penalty.
“Today as soon as I won the match, I turned to him. I’ve been dealing with hate and negativity for a long time, so I don’t feel like I owed that person anything.”
Kyrgios feels it is part of a wider social issue.
He added: “Spectators, in general, think there’s no line there anymore.
“They can just say something, film it and laugh about it. It’s like that could actually hurt someone’s feelings.
“It’s a whole generation of people on social media feeling they have a right to comment on every single thing with negativity.
“It’s disgusting some of the things I deal with.
“Like my brother has alopecia, and they joke about him being a cancer patient.”
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Kyrgios denied saying the line judges are “90 and can’t see the ball”.
He added: “I said ‘most of the umpires are older’ and I don’t think it’s ideal in a sport of such small margins.”
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