Australian tennis star Nick Kyrgios complained of a spectator smoking marijuana during his US Open 2022 match against French rival Benjamin Bonzi.
Nick Kyrgios and controversy go hand in hand. The Australian tennis star is known to set tongues wagging with his actions or his choice of words. Regardless, having a tennis tournament without drama surrounding the 27-year-old is something tennis enthusiasts cannot fathom.
On Wednesday, Nick Kyrgios complained of a spectator smoking marijuana during his US Open 2022 match against French rival Benjamin Bonzi.
The Wimbledon finalist battled to find his best form for a significant portion of his 7-6, (7-3) 6-4, 4-6, 6-4 triumph over Benjamin Bonzi at Louis Armstrong Stadium. This was more because of his poker-faced rival's resiliency and persistence, who maintained composure while the Australian's rage flared.
"I was literally hanging by a thread. His level today was incredible," Kyrgios said. "I was not expecting an absolute way. I played some really risky tennis in the fourth set to get through."
As his opponent increased the pressure late in the second set, the Canberran protested to umpire Jaume Campistol about the smell of marijuana wafting down to the court. The Australian was correct, too, as it was simple to detect the smell of marijuana near the court. At one point, Campistol asked supporters not to smoke near a court with a boisterous party atmosphere.
What transpired on court during Kyrgios' clash against Bonzi
On the way to his bench during a changeover at 4-3 on serve in the second set, Kyrgios sniped, "You don't even want to remind anyone not to do it?"
However, Kyrgios didn't take kindly to the umpire's assumption that he was complaining about the scent of food.
"It was f***ing marijuana," he shot back. "Obviously I'm not going to be complaining about food stuff. Obviously not. Obviously when athletes are running side-to-side and they have asthma already it's probably not ideal."
The umpire addressed the crowd as the two players returned to the court, saying, "Ladies and gentlemen, a reminder that you cannot smoke on court."
Kyrgios reveals he is heavily asthmatic
Following the game, Kyrgios said he was an asthmatic and was mindful the fumes might unbalance him. "People don't know [it but] I'm a heavy asthmatic," he said. "When I'm running side to side, I'm struggling to breathe, [so it is] probably not something I want to be breathing in between points."
The Australian tennis star revealed how he was putting a lot of pressure on himself to play well and described how he was "really fortunate to get through in four sets".
Kyrgios said of his opponent, "I wasn't going out there expecting him to not be good or something. But his level was really, really good. It was one of those matches where you kind of survive."
Meanwhile, fans took to Twitter to troll Kyrgios as the Aussie stoked yet another on-court controversy. Here's a look at some of the reactions:
It's funny because Nick Kyrgios rages so much that he could use a joint.
What a softie. https://t.co/wDykp8CjsG
Nick Kyrgios is swearing at the umpire and accusing a fan of smoking marijuana courtside at the US Open. Never a dull moment when this guy is on court
— Kevin Palmer (@RealKevinPalmer)The smell of weed is everywhere in NYC these days, and now even at the US Open.
Nick Kyrgios complains of US Open smell distraction: 'It was f--king marijuana' https://t.co/NBfxcN5XG7 via
He seriously needs a strong lesson in manners and court etiquette from the Tennis Associations.https://t.co/poBqtXQ1sO
— Nick Farmer (@NickFarmer3)Charlie Sheen starts filming his umpire scenes in the tennis spy thriller “Balls Deep”https://t.co/Z5oT52OVLd
— علياء (@realEmpressAlia)He's at it again😅 https://t.co/YxMt7cUuao
— Glenn Hutton2 (@GlennHutton2)In the stands like https://t.co/JQdw6j2sgk pic.twitter.com/HlX37J5jn2
— Kurt Rosenfeld (@Krosenfeld49)I just wanted to take this time to officially apologize to Nick Krygios and the and entire tennis community for this incident today … I underestimated how stinky this new batch of Sour Diesel is, and I only took a quick puff https://t.co/1IN5km7gob
— Stephen “Stevie Lew” Lewis (@SteveCantLose)"She's had like 700 puffs bro" https://t.co/qcrNSRyHqF
— Lee (@cyanideandjd)i mean he does dress like an undercover cop so https://t.co/D46Wplsr4v
— russbengtson.eesh (@russbengtson)What a rat https://t.co/szCJT1Fz3S
— Ankit (@ankitpathak04)