Wimbledon: Nick Krygios spits at fan and calls line judge ‘an old man’

Krygios contested a thrilling five-set win against Britain’s Paul Jubb, but it was his usual on-court antics that got everybody talking.

Australian tennis star Nick Kyrgios spat in the direction of an abusive fan and called a line judge an “old man” during an intense match on Court 3 at this year's Wimbledon. The famously fiery world no.40, who is among the favourites to go all the way in this year’s tournament, got off to a winning start following a thrilling 3-6, 6-1, 7-5, 6-7 (3-7), 7-5 win against Britain’s Paul Jubb in the opening round. However, it was his trademark on-court antics that got everybody talking, as usual, after the controversial character admitted to spitting in the direction of a "disrespectful" spectator at the end of the game, claiming the fan had come to the match "just to stir up and disrespect". https://twitter.com/SkySports/status/1541875456940580864 Asked if he spat towards the person in the crowd, Kyrgios replied: "Of one of the people disrespecting me, yes" adding: "I would not be doing that to someone who was supporting me." The 27-year-old went on to say: "Today, as soon as I won the match, I turned to him...I've been dealing with hate and negativity for a long time, so I don't feel like I owed that person anything. "Like, he literally came to the match to not even support anyone really, it was more just to stir up and disrespect. That's fine. But if I give it back to you, then that's just how it is." It wasn't his only flare-up on-court either as earlier in the tournament, he also called one line judge an "old man" and another a "nitch" that "has no fans". https://twitter.com/SportsJOE_UK/status/1541778825037627392?s=20&t=IndamLrDR4zYsVaSr17AXQ Kyrgios could face a fine for the incident if the umpire were to notify the referee's office who, in consultation with the Grand Slam supervisor, would decide on any punishment. Related links:

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