Nick Kyrgios re-interprets the victim, but there is one simple truth he refuses to accept after another petulant outburst.
Hello, kettle? Here is pot.
Nick Kyrgios was at his best after a wild five-set win in the first round of Wimbledon, abusing referees and line judges and then playing the victim in his post-match press conference.
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The Australian called the judge a “snitch” line, spat at the spectators and shouted badly for the “disrespect” the All England Club spectators showed towards him.
You can read all about his complaints and grievances here and here, but an interaction with a journalist, which we explained below, after overcoming Paul Jubb, gave the most enlightening view of why Kyrgios thinks the world it is against him.
“You have some sympathy for what happens with line judges, for example. Do you have any sympathy sometimes for how the players treat them? ”Asked a reporter, causing five seconds of silence only broken by an uncertain“ umm ”from Kyrgios.
“Referees take it, line judges take it, a lot of these people take it,” the journalist added.
Kyrgios: “But, it goes beyond that. If I miss a tennis match and it comes down to one call, they’re not abused on social media like I have to deal with. My girlfriend deals with hate messages, my family deals with hate messages, I deal with hate messages.For example, that time in Miami where (the referee) Carlos Bernardes did this and the whole game turned in. He was facing “I’m still in charge of that, but they’re out as if nothing had happened. They’re refereeing, refereeing, but for me, hate messages have a lot more weight than that. people don’t understand.It’s not just “made a bad call” and I’m just abusing the referee.I’m frustrated.It’s like, if I lose this match, you have no idea how many abuses I have to suffer where the referees don’t have to go through nothing. Why do they happen? “
Journalist: “But do you have any sympathy for them?”
Kyrgios: “Well, yes, if I get to a 220km / h service it’s up to them, I say, ‘Oh, I’m sorry, are you okay?’ “But if they make a bad call that focused on one line, why would I have sympathy for it? There are hundreds and thousands of dollars at stake, why would I want to hear it? It doesn’t make sense.”
Can you hear yourself, Nick? The only thing that doesn’t make sense are these three final words.
Kyrgios believes he has the right to abuse referees and officials whenever he wants, but spectators cannot criticize him at all.
Remember, this was the man who encouraged the audience at the January Australian Open to be as loud as possible, as he and Thanasi Kokkinakis made their inspired career towards the doubles title. He would then reprimand the referees for not controlling the fans at Melbourne Park. Imagine.
You can’t have it either way.
Make no mistake, the torrent of abuse on social media to athletes, including Kyrgios, is disgusting. It is even more unforgivable when extended to couples and families.
The alleged racial mockery that Kyrgios faced earlier this month at a tournament in Stuttgart is deeply disturbing and has no place in society, let alone tennis or any other sport. Canberran is right to speak out against this treatment and deserves praise for raising awareness about the detrimental impact it has on mental health.
But what Kyrgios doesn’t understand is that he’s regurgitating the same behavior he complains about every time he enters the track.
Kyrgios has made life a living hell for referees and line judges for years. Whether it’s a despicable crisis in Miami in March or an explosion in front of Australian Open officials every summer, the Australian star is part of the same problem he complains about.
Saying “referees don’t have to go through anything” when they are at the end of one of their fierce verbal sprays is like gas light. How would Kyrgios know what’s going on after he’s done with them? Does he give them a questionnaire to fill out after each slang match?
Imagine coming to work, doing your job the best you can, and being called out, undermined, and humiliated in front of thousands of people.
Kyrgios tries to justify that his problems are bigger than anyone else’s, giving him an excuse to behave like a brat, he just doesn’t wash up. Yes, your profile means you face obstacles that your Average Joe doesn’t have, but should he act like an idiot? Federer no. Christmas no. Ash Barty certainly doesn’t.
The 27-year-old refuses to accept the most basic premise behind how the world sees him: that he would not be the object of abuse and mass ridicule if he treated everyone around him with the respect he says he deserves.
Don’t abuse referees, don’t insult line judges, don’t hit kids too hard with your racket during a tantrum, and people won’t have as many reasons to “disrespect” you.
It’s a simple truth, but unfortunately, a Kyrgios is unable to swallow.
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