Verbal volleys during tennis games are not unusual, but 20-year-old Australian Nick Kyrgios took it to a new level today (13 August).
After losing the first set of the match against world No. 5 Stan Wawrinka at the Montreal Masters, Kyrgios vented out his frustration at him by making a rather distasteful comment about Wawrinka's girlfriend: "[Thanasi] Kokkinakis banged your girlfriend. Sorry to tell you that, mate."
The sledging did help in a certain way for Kyrgios as he won the match 6-7 (8-10) 6-3 4-0, only because the 2015 French Open Champion had to retire owing to a back injury.
"He was getting a bit lippy with me," Kyrgios said of Wawrinka after the match.
"Kind of in the heat of the moment. I don't know. I just said it," he added.
Kokkinakis is Kyrgios' Australian Davis Cup teammate, and the 'girlfriend' in question is Croatian starlet Donna Vekic.
Considered as the next Maria Sharapova, Vekic, 19, is currently No. 127 in the latest WTA rankings. The Croat, according to reports, is dating Wawrinka, 30, these days.
Kokkinakis had partnered Vekic in the Australian Open mixed doubles last year.
Twitterati have reacted with shock and sarcasm, with fans and former stars getting involved to express their their reactions to Kyrgios' sledging.
Former World No. 1 Victoria Azarenka, who has been reported to date both Kyrgios and Kokkinakis, in the past, suggested he Kyrgios could have said it away from the mic.
Magnus Norman, Wawrinka's present coach, is totally infuriated by Kyrgios' on-court comment.
Nick Kyrgios' fans also slammed him.
