First, there was the woman at the Wimbledon final who looked like she’d had “700 drinks, bro.” This time, it was the smell of weed that set off Nick Kyrgios.
The 27-year-old Aussie was deep in the second set of his second-round match against Benjamin Bonzi at the U.S. Open when he turned to the chair umpire and started complaining about the whiff of marijuana being in the air at Louis Armstrong Stadium.
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Up a set and at 4-3 on serve in the second, Kyrgios asked the umpire to issue a warning to the crowd after claiming he had seen and smelled someone smoking marijuana. On the way to his bench during a changeover, Kyrgios sniped, “You don’t even want to remind anyone not to do it?”
The umpire seemed to think Kyrgios was complaining about the smell of food, though, which didn’t go over well with the combustible Aussie.
“It was f***ing marijuana,” he shot back. “Obviously I’m not going to be complaining about food stuff. Obviously not.
“Obviously when athletes are running side-to-side and they have asthma already it’s probably not ideal.”
The umpire addressed the crowd as the two players returned to the court, saying, “Ladies and gentlemen, a reminder that you cannot smoke on court.”
The ESPN broadcast also said their reporter on the scene likewise confirmed the smell of marijuana. Then Kyrgios went on to close out the second set, 6-4.
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It was hardly the last of his blow-ups, though. Kyrgios was issued a code of conduct warning for spitting on the court after being broken late in the third set, which he went on to lose, 6-4.
This also isn’t the first time Kyrgios has found himself amid a marijuana controversy at the U.S. Open. Six years ago, he caused a stir during the tournament when he responded to a Twitter follower confirming that players on tour are allowed to smoke weed. A WADA spokesperson later confirmed that marijuana is prohibited during competition but is not banned when used outside of competition.
Rant aside, this season has arguably been Kyrgios’ best. He reached his first Grand Slam final earlier this summer at Wimbledon, then followed by winning the singles and doubles titles on the same day at the Citi Open in Washington D.C.
Wednesday, he also finished off Bonzi, 7-6 (3), 6-4, 4-6, 6-4, racking up 30 aces along the way, to advance to the third round of the U.S. Open for the fifth time in his career.
“I’m just really happy to get through,” Kyrgios said afterward. “It’s been a stressful time.
