Well that lasted long.
Three days after winning the biggest title of his career in Japan — and, crucially, keeping his composure in doing so — Nick Kyrgios was back in trouble.
At the Shanghai Masters on Wednesday, the controversial 21-year-old imploded against a player ranked 110th, Mischa Zverev, and exited in merely 48 minutes, losing 6-3 6-1. Towards the end of the drubbing, he was even booed.
Trailing 3-1 and facing a break point in the first set, Kyrgios simply tapped over his serve, began walking to his chair and allowed the German to hit an easy winner past him.
That wasn’t it. In no mood to stick around in the second-round clash, Kyrgios later began walking to his chair as soon as Zverev made contact with a serve, hit an exhibition like ‘tweener’ approaching the net under little pressure and opted for a drop-shot return on the final point of the encounter.
According to AP, the display prompted one fan to yell out, “respect the game.” Kyrgios shouted back, “You want to come here and play?”
In his briefing with reporters, Kyrgios said he didn’t think he owed it to the supporters to put in a better performance.
“I’m good at hitting a tennis ball at the net. Big deal. I don’t owe them anything,” he was quoted as saying by AP. “If you don’t like it, I didn’t ask you to come watch. Just leave.”
Kyrgios then apologized on Twitter.
Apology
“Not good enough today on many levels, I’m better than that. I can go on about excuses but there are none. Sorry.” He added the hashtag, “StillAWorkInProgress.”
All that after triumphing in Tokyo on Sunday to reach a new career high in the rankings, 14th, and aid his chances of qualifying for the year-end ATP World Tour Finals for the first time. He also revealed he had hired a fitness trainer, seemingly a sign of his determination to improve. He is still without a coach.
The apology may not be enough to appease the ATP and fans, especially given his past misdemeanors.
He was fined $10,000 last year and handed a suspended 28-day ban for a lewd sledge aimed at Stan Wawrinka and his girlfriend, accused of tanking at Wimbledon in 2015 — a charge he denied — and separately fined $9,500 at Wimbledon for unsportsmanlike conduct and swearing.
This year, retired seven-time grand slam winner John McEnroe criticized Kyrgios after defeats at Wimbledon and the US Open.
“He doesn’t know what it takes to be a top-10 professional to win grand slams,” McEnroe said after Kyrgios lost to Andy Murray in under 1:45 at Wimbledon.
“I’m hoping he sees the writing on the wall before this becomes chronic, irreparable, because to me it’s getting to that point. He’s got a lot of thinking to do, a lot of work to do.”