Nick Kyrgios's most controversial moments of the past 12 months
Copping a fine for his ‘700 drinks’ slur at Wimbledon and claiming the pyramids are NOT man-made… all while avoiding jail time for assault – Nick Kyrgios’s controversial moments after his Sam Smith outburst, in just the past 12 MONTHS!
- Nick Kyrgios has proved to be a magnet for controversy in the past 12 months
- Australian accused a fan of being drunk during the Wimbledon final
- He reignited feud with Bernard Tomic and dropped out of United Cup
Since making his professional debut in 2012, Nick Kyrgios has been a magnet for controversy on and off the court.
The fiery Australian has repeatedly argued his actions is subject to exaggerated scrutiny and that he’s simply a straight-talker, shoot-from-the-hip kind of guy unwilling to toe the line of public relation charades.
Conversely, his detractors have long grown tired of his behaviour and insist the Australian’s antics are deliberate and designed to ensure he remains the centre of attention.
The truth, as ever, is probably somewhere in between. Kyrgios can’t be kept out of the spotlight, but last year’s exhilarating run to the Wimbledon final showed he’s more than happy to let his tennis do the talking.
It has been almost exactly a year since Sportsmail explored the Aussie firebrand’s most outrageous moments and the world No22 has been busy on and off the court since.
From being the main focus of a Netflix documentary to stoking the flames of his feud with Bernard Tomic and accusing a fan of being drunk during the Wimbledon final, here’s a reminder of what you may have missed in the past 12 months.
Nick Kyrgios has endured a rocky 12 months, with on-field success marred by incidents off the court and being forced to pull out of the Australian Open before it even started
The Australian reached his maiden Grand Slam final in July, losing to Novak Djokovic (right) in four sets at Wimbledon
Ridiculing Sam Smith on social media
Kyrgios’ most recent flirt with controversy saw him ridicule English singer-songwriter Sam Smith for using the term ‘fisherthem’ instead of ‘fisherman’ in a recent TV interview.
The superstar entertainer changed their pronouns to they/them in 2019 and speaking on The One Show with Ronan Keating recently, Smith said he would enjoy being a ‘fisherthem’.
Keating asked Smith: ‘You’re a big fan of fishing?’
‘I do love fishing, yes. Yeah, I’d love to be a fisherthem!’ Smith replied.
‘What, like a fly fisherman?’ Keating asked.
‘I’d be any type of fisherthem,’ Smith politely corrected him.
Kyrgios shared the clip on his Instagram stories with the caption: ‘This is so cringe bro I can’t’ followed by a laughing emoji.
The ‘drunk fan’ Wimbledon controversy
Kyrgios reached his maiden Grand Slam at Wimbledon last year, before ultimately losing to Novak Djokovic.
Typically, controversy didn’t escape the Australian not even on the biggest stage of his career as was involved in an angry spat with a fan, whom she accused of having had ‘700 drinks’ and asked the umpire to evict her.
‘Distracting me when I’m serving in a Wimbledon final?’ he said. ‘There’s no bigger occasion.
Kyrgios accused a fan who he said ‘had 700 drinks’ of distracting him during the Wimbledon final against Novak Djokovic in July
The woman in question, Ania Palus, subsequently took Kyrgios to court over the claims
‘You didn’t believe me [the first time] and now it’s happened again. It almost cost me the game. Why is she still here?
‘She’s drunk out of her mind in the first row speaking to me in the middle of a game. How is that acceptable?
‘Kick her out. I know exactly who it is. It’s the one with the dress […] the one who looks like she has had about 700 drinks.’
The woman involved, Polish lawyer Ania Palus, sued Kyrgios over his comments and the Australian was eventually forced to apologise and had to pay £19,500 (AUD$35,000) to charity as settlement.
Re-igniting his feud with Bernard Tomic
Mercurial talents too often disrupted by a love for controversy, one could argue Bernard Tomic and Kyrgios are cut from the same cloth.
It was hardly surprise then to see a feud flare up between the two in May, when Kyrgios told his fellow Australian he needed to ‘quieten down’ after claiming he was a better player than him.
Bernard Tomic (left) and Kyrgios have previously been good friends, but have fallen out spectacularly over the last five years and reignited their feud in May
The latter fired back by claiming Kyrgios only goaded him because he is in awe of what he achieved on the court, despite the fact at the time Kyrgios was the world No.76 and Tomic was ranked 418th in the world.
Hardly intent on winning friends, Tomic also claimed Kyrgios had ‘always been living in my shadow’, prompting his rival to describe him as ‘the most hated athlete in Australia’.
The duo eventually appeared to bury the hatchet in January, when Tomic wished Kyrgios speedy recovery from his injury.
Avoiding conviction for shoving his former girlfriend
Last month, Kyrgios avoided a conviction for shoving his former girlfriend Chiara Passari to the ground.
A bid to have Kyrgios’s charge thrown out on mental health grounds was rejected, but magistrate Jane Campbell ruled the offence was ‘low level’ and that he was not at risk of re-offending.
Under Australian law it means he will not have anything on his record going forward.
The incident took place in 2021 after a heated argument between the pair which led to an altercation as Kyrgios tried to leave in a taxi.
The magistrate ruled it was a ‘single act of stupidity’ by someone trying to get out of a tense situation. Passari said she had been left traumatised and suffered shoulder pain as a result.
Last month, Kyrgios avoided a conviction for assualt on his ex-girlfriend Chiara Passari
Groping his girlfriend’s chest at the Australian Open
Kyrgios has spoken at length of his relationship with girlfriend Costeen Hatzi, crediting her with turning his life around.
But his feelings for Hatzi made the headlines for the wrong reasons, when he was caught on camera groping her chest at the Australian Open earlier this year.
In a behind-the-scenes video posted to Twitter, Kyrgios and Hatzi are seen walking around in the players warm-up area at Melbourne Park.
The then walks behind his girlfriend and wraps his arms around her before groping her chest.
Dropping out of Australia’s United Cup at the 11th hour
Not satisfied with his feud with Tomic, Kyrgios also got involved in a war of words with Lleyton Hewitt over his controversial United Cup withdrawal.
In January, Kyrgios revealed he would not take part in the mixed-gender tournament just 24 hours before he was due to face Great Britain’s Cameron Norrie in Sydney as he wanted to be fully fit for the Australian Open.
His decision left Australia in the lurch, with Hewitt slamming a ‘lack of communication’ over Kyrgios’ controversial withdrawal.
The latter didn’t need any invitation to fire back and accused the Australian captain and two-time Grand Slam winner of ‘throwing him under the bus’.
To add insult to injury, Kyrgios eventually missed the Australian Open through injury anyway.
Kyrgios slammed Lleyton Hewitt of throwing him under the bus, after the Australia team captain hit out at a ‘lack of communication’ over Kyrgios’ controversial United Cup withdrawal
Revealing a questionable interest in conspiracy theories
Kyrgios has never been shy to express his opinion on any matter, but he may bitten off more than he could chew during an appearance on the Impaulsive Podcast – hosted by popular YouTuber and boxer, Logan Paul.
In a rambling conversation that covered a wide range of topics, Kyrgios mentioned his interest in conspiracy theories, suggesting he didn’t think the Egyptian pyramids are man-made and that the Earth could be flat.
‘I don’t think the pyramids are man-made,’ he declared.
‘The doors are pretty big, and we as humans don’t need doors as big as those ones.’
Asked if he thought the world was flat, Kyrgios replied: ‘I don’t know what to believe anymore.’
Kyrgios revealed that he doesn’t think the Egyptian pyramids are man-made, the Earth could be flat in a bizarre interview with Logan Paul
Suggesting an early retirement is on the cards
In January, Kyrgios once again insisted that the finish line is in sight as the 27-year-old reiterated plans to retire from tennis in the near future.
Kyrgios revealed last year that a Grand Slam triumph would be enough for him to walk away from the sport, and repeated that notion following his charity exhibition match with Novak Djokovic ahead of the Australian Open.
‘It’s a lot of training, a lot of work, and I just want to be able to eat whatever I want, drink what I want to drink.
‘It’s a hard lifestyle. The dedication these guys show […] I did a bit of that last year to show the world I’m still one of the best.
‘But I’m going to try and do it this year and hopefully I can do it, but it will be hard.’
Kyrgios has reiterated his bold plans to retire from tennis, despite being just 27
Getting caught in an E-scooter drama on the eve of the Aussie Open
Shortly before pulling out of the Australian Open, Kyrgios was seen riding around Melbourne on a rented e-scooter with Hatzi standing on the back.
Victorian laws on commercial e-scooters state you must wear a helmet when operating the vehicle, which can reach speeds of 12mph (20kmh) and Victoria Police revealed they would make inquiries about photos that appear to show the tennis star breaking the law.
Hatzi subsesquently admitted the pair ‘should have been wearing helmets’, but insisted they were going really slow.
Kyrgios and his girlfriend Costeen Hatzi were pictured e-scooter while not wearing helmets in Melbourne – which could see them in hot water with police
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