Australian Open 2021: Nick Kyrgios stages bizarre mid-match protest for THIS reason

Nick Kyrgios is known for his fierce temper and his outbursts have polarized opinion among fans about his temperament. However, just before the Australian Open 2021 which begins on Monday, Nick Kyrgios was once again involved in an angry outburst and this time, the reason was bizarre. During a warm-up match win against Harry Bourchier, Kyrgios was incensed after being hit with a time violation for taking too long between serves late in the second set at the Murray River Open. Nick Kyrgios put his racquet down and said he was not going to play until the issue was sorted out amicably.

Nick Kyrgios stated that he had already started his service motion when the serving clock struck zero, labeling the chair umpire a “smart a***” after calling for the tournament supervisor. Nick Kyrgios went on a rant against the chair umpire and the officials and he demanded to see the supervisor. The play was held up for five minutes and only after he got assurance from the supervisor that he would not be fined for the actions did Nick Kyrgios continue to play.

In the audio interaction that is available on Yahoo Australia’s Tennis page, Nick Kyrgios was upset for the fact that he was fined money for all these kinds of small incidents, and that had already increased his frustration. However, this time, Nick Kyrgios’ action got a lot of sympathy from social media users, stating that the likes of Rafael Nadal took a lot of time to serve and that they always escaped time penalty violation on their serves.

"I've just started serving! What are you talking about?!"

Nick Kyrgios refuses to play after a bust-up with the umpire over a time violation... pic.twitter.com/YZUlkDvWXX

— Eurosport UK (@Eurosport_UK) February 3, 2021

Turbulent Aussie Open start

The Australian Open 2021 has already had a turbulent start with the coronavirus pandemic already wreaking havoc. After having no cases in Victoria, there was a sudden spurt that saw the lockdown being imposed in the state for a couple of days. There was a cloud of doubt whether the Australian Open would take place. However, with no new cases in the last couple of days and with masks being made mandatory for fans in attendance, the Australian Open 2021 will begin on Monday.

Novak Djokovic is the eight-time champion of the Australian Open and he has already won the tournament the most number of times with eight titles.