Nick Kyrgios is no newbie to controversies, and scores of players and commentators have spoken against the Australian's temperament. Slovakian tennis player Daniela Hantuchova is the latest to join the list after she said on air that Kyrgios “needs help”.
“He (Kyrgios) actually needs serious help. Not only on the tennis stuff but I think on his life in general because that's the reason he's behaving how he is on the court,” Hantuchova said. “I think he has so many issues going on outside the court”.
Hantuchova has seven singles career titles to her name. Her best grand slam performance was reaching the quarterfinals of the Australian Open, Wimbledon and US Open.
Kyrgios has been at the centre of many controversies on and off the field throughout his career. He was in the line of fire for his outburst on court against Rafael Nadal during the Wimbledon where he smashed a ball right at Nadal. He later said on record that he wanted to hit him and that it was part of the game.
Kyrgios has been lauded by sports pundits for his talent but has been equally criticised for temperament issues.
Kyrgios was fined USD 113,000 for his outburst during his second round loss at the Cincinnati Masters against Russian Karen Khachano. He had initially spoken out against chair umpire Ferguson Murphy following a time violation saying that it was “absolute rubbish” and a “disgrace”. In the decider set, he called the umpire “the worst f---ing referee”. He later on broke two rackets in the locker room following the loss. He took a timeout for a bathroom break and was seen heading down the tunnel with two rackets, both of which he broke during an outburst. He later came out to finish the match.
