Swimming legend Dawn Fraser takes aim at Nick Kyrgios and Bernard Tomic saying they can go back to 'where their parents came from'. Courtesy: Channel Seven/Sunrise

Dawn Fraser says tennis brats can go back to 'where their parents came from'

UPDATE: Olympic legend Dawn Fraser has apologised for her tirade against Australian tennis player Nick Kyrgios, which he has slammed as “blatantly racist”.

Fraser, a four-time gold medallist and one of the country’s most celebrated athletes, came under fire this morning when she said that Kyrgios and fellow tennis player Bernard Tomic should “go back where their parents came from”.

Kyrgios was accused of tanking after clearly making no effort to return serve in the third game of the second set during his 7-5 6-1 6-7 (7-9) 7-6 (8-6) loss at Wimbledon.

This afternoon, Fraser has backtracked from her comments and admitted that her message was “not delivered as articulately as it could have been”.

“I want to unreservedly apologise for any comments that I made this morning which may have caused offence to my fellow Australians including Nick and his family,” she said in a statement.

“The live-to-air clip was part of a larger un-broadcasted interview, however this does not condone what was said.

“Australians have a rich sporting heritage made up of individuals from a variety of different countries of origin.

“My intended message, which was not delivered as articulately as it could have been, was on a purely sporting level rather than meant as an attack on Nick’s ethnicity.

“Nick’s representing Australia and I want to see him representing Australian tennis in the best possible light.

“Representing your country is the highest accolade for any athlete and being selected for Australia is both a privilege and an honour.

“Not only do you represent yourself, your team, your fans and your family but you are representing the heritage of the competition and acting as a role model for young Australians.”

It was a much more fired-up Fraser who spoke on Today this morning about Kyrgios’s fourth-round defeat against Frenchman Richard Gasquet at Wimbledon.

“It’s absolutely disgusting. I am so shocked to think that he went out there to play and he tanked … that’s terrible,” Fraser said.

But Fraser did not stop there, going on to suggest both Kyrgios and his fellow Australian tennis star Bernard Tomic should “go back where their parents came from”.

Born in Canberra, Kyrgios is the son of a Greek-born father and Malaysian-born mother. Tomic is German-born with a Croatian father and Bosnian mother. The family migrated to the Gold Coast when Tomic was three years old.

“They should be setting a better example for the younger generation of this country, a great country of ours,” Fraser said on Today.

“If they don’t like it, go back to where their fathers or their parents came from. We don’t need them here in this country if they act like that.”

Kyrgios took to Facebook to hit back Fraser, writing: “Blatant racist, Australian legend.”

Throwing a racket, brat. Debating the rules, disrespectful. Frustrated when competing, spoilt. Showing emotion,... Posted by Nick Kyrgios on Monday, July 6, 2015

Kyrgios’ mother Nill also said the comments were “out of line”.

I have no comments on Dawn Frasers nasty racist attack...but she is out of line. #unaustralianbehaviour — nill kyrgios (@nillkyrgios) July 7, 2015

In a separate interview with Fairfax, Fraser said: “I’m not a racist person, if you take [my comments] that way then I’m sorry that you take it that way, but I’m not racist at all.

“I said, ‘If they don’t want to be Australians then maybe they should go back to the country where their parents come from’. That’s not being racist.

“I can see it being interpreted that way ... but it wasn’t intended that way.”

Fraser was widely criticised on Twitter over the outburst.

Wow Dawn Fraser, wow. Something I have not heard since primary/high school (almost daily) #unacceptable — Andrew Bogut (@andrewbogut) July 7, 2015

This is 1. Horrifically racist and 2. Deeply hypocritical. Dawn Fraser has no right to police anyone's behaviour. https://t.co/6VlK6HCZnh — Frith (@frithlvl) July 6, 2015

@TheTodayShow irony of interview is that Dawn Fraser denounced #NickKyrgios for his on court behaviour while she acted just as poorly on TV — Nikos Psaltopoulos (@psaltopoulos) July 6, 2015

I love Dawn Fraser, but Kyrgios is not "disgraceful." Yes, he's got a mouth, & needs to be reeled in, but, he's not the first to be animated — Shane McInnes (@shanemcinnes) July 7, 2015

Watch the video of Kyrgios’ apparent tanking below.

Kyrgios denied the tanking claims after his controversial Wimbledon campaign came to an end.

“Of course I tried,” Kyrgios said.

“There was a lot of ups and downs. It was a tough, tough time, especially when he’s not missing any balls.

“I’m getting frustrated myself. I feel as if I’m playing not how I should be playing. I’m angry at myself.”

Kyrgios went as far as to suggest Gasquet “was serving too good” — a claim that was not taken well by the assembled press, who grilled him so hard a moderator eventually intervened.

“It hurts,” he added.

“You never want to go out of a grand slam. I feel like I definitely could have done better.”

KYRGIOS’ WIMBLEDON CONTROVERSIES

‘DIRTY SCUM’

That was the phrase Kyrgios used on court during his opening win against Argentinian Diego Schwartzman. Kyrgios had to defend himself afterwards and insisted the slur had not been directed towards the umpire following his threat of a mid-match strike, but rather at himself.

GET DOWN

Kyrgios was ordered by a Wimbledon steward to clamber down from railings outside Court 14 when he climbed up to get a vantage point for a doubles match featuring fellow Aussies Lleyton Hewitt and Thanasi Kokkinakis.

CAUGHT OUT

Wrong-footed by Milos Raonic in their third-round tussle, Kyrgios received a code of conduct warning after slinging his racquet down on the grass in exasperation, and it bounced high over a fence and into a shocked spectator’s arms.

THE FAN-ISH INQUISITION

Kyrgios confronted a fan during the Raonic match who he felt had spoken out of turn. He said later: “I thought she said something like, ‘Pull your head in.’ She started laughing. I didn’t really find it funny. It’s easy when you’re just sitting there and you’re just watching, when you’ve got no experience at all on the court.”

NEW FACES

Kyrgios encouraged fans on Facebook to send him pictures of themselves with faces covered in various sandwich spreads after one of his followers volunteered to do so. Snaps of fans with Vegemite and chocolate across their faces were “weird and wonderful”, according to Kyrgios, but they also sparked suggestions it was a case of ‘blacking up’. Women’s top seed Serena Williams said she would be interested to know why the fans posed for the pictures.

THE INCREDIBLE SULK

The 20-year-old downed tools for the third game of the second set in his fourth-round clash with Gasquet, seemingly irked at being called out for an audible obscenity by umpire James Keothavong in the previous game. His performance was half-hearted for much of the set and Kyrgios went on to lose the match.