CLANCY OVERELL | Editor | CONTACT

As Canberra tennis star Nick Kyrgios edges nearer to the record of over $250,000 in ATP fines for on court behaviour, he has officially transitioned from superbrat to loveable bad boy in the eyes of Australian audiences.

While our sports-obsessed nation has for a long time claimed to love sledging and anti-authoritative public figures, it has taken nearly seven years for the people to reconcile their tall-poppy predjudices with the fact that the volatile King Kyrgios might be exactly what we need in the international tennis arena.

After Wednesday’s loss to Karen Khachanov 6-7 (3), 7-6 (4), 6-2 in the round of 32 of the Western and Southern Open 2019, the hotheaded 24-year-old has done what his does best and kicked up a stink by reigniting his long-standing feud with the chair umpire, Fergus Murphy during the action-packed match.

After a match full of spats between Kyrgios and Murphy, with Murphy taking the opportunity to stir as much shit as possible, the Australian finished hard by calling the up “a f***ing tool bro.”

Nick Kyrgios also refused to shake Murphy’s hand after the match. He then went on to throw his shoes and other things into the crowd. He then went off the court after handing his broken racquets to young fans.

While boomers and people who don’t like jewellery continue to talk shit about Kyrgios, he appears to have a growing fanbase amongst Australians who don’t get so fucking outraged by everything they hear on 2GB or see on Sunrise.

This leaves many sports journalists and converted fans to pose the question:

When looking back at the many verbal exchanges between the cocky Fergus Murphy and Nick Kyrgios throughout the Khachanov match, and also taking into account that he made a few shithouse calls, and also taking into account that his name is ‘Fergus’ – is there any grounds to what Kyrgios was saying, and will likely be fined for saying?

Is there a chance, that maybe, that maybe the umpire was a fucken tool, bro?