Tennis star gets angry at US Open fans who smoke weed – Reuters

The US Open crowd has been warned of « refrain from smoking » after Australian ace Nick Kyrgios complained to the match referee that he could smell marijuana during his second-round win over Benjamin Bonzi on Wednesday.

Kyrgios, 27, asked the referee to intervene in the second set, saying he saw and smelled a fan smoking the substance.

« You don’t even want to remind anybody not to do it?… It was fucking marijuana. » Obviously, I’m not going to complain about the food. Of course not, » said the Australian.

« When athletes are running side by side and they already have asthma, it’s probably not ideal. »

Referee Jaume Campistol then addressed a request to spectators at Louis Armstrong Stadium, urging them: « Ladies and gentlemen, out of courtesy to both players, please refrain from smoking around the pitch. »

Court cameramen and reporters said they could also detect the smell of grass at Flushing Meadows.

Kyrgios, seeded 23rd in New York, finished the match in four sets, 7-6 (7-3), 6-4, 4-6, 6-4, against his tough French rival, but did not blameless for his own behavior during the competition.

The Aussie was seen spitting on the pitch after suffering a break of serve in the third set, and unleashed a rude rant in his box – where his girlfriend, a friend and his physio were sitting – which earned him a code violation.

« Go home if you ain’t fucking gonna support me bro, » he was quoted as shouting, adding « It’s a fucking joke. You’re not a fucking spectator, you’re not a spectator.

Despite the outburst, Kyrgios continued his fine run of recent form which has seen him play arguably the best tennis of his career.

The Australian reached a first Grand Slam final at Wimbledon in July, losing in four sets to Novak Djokovic, and is seen as an important contender in New York.

Next up is a third-round meeting with American JJ Wolf on Friday, and beyond that a potential fourth-round blockbuster against Russian world number one and defending champion Daniil Medvedev – a man Kyrgios defeated when they faced off at the Canadian Open last month.

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