Nick Kyrgios. / AFP PHOTO / CHANDAN KHANNA
Australian firebrand Nick Kyrgios stormed off court to loud boos midway through his opening match at the Shanghai Masters on Tuesday, two days after his China Open final meltdown.
The 22-year-old abruptly called it quits immediately after losing the first set 7/5 on a tie break to the American Steve Johnson, having been docked a point for the second match running.
On Sunday Kyrgios was similarly hit with a point penalty and had a running row with the umpire in losing the final in Beijing to Rafael Nadal.
A member of Kyrgios’s coaching team said in Shanghai that the world-ranked 21 had injured his shoulder and the temperamental Australian did look in discomfort early on in the match against the unseeded Johnson.
Kyrgios seemed untroubled however by the injury when they entered the first-set tie break, but like in the final in Beijing, his temper soon got the better of him after he was angered by the unsettled crowd.
Johnson, the umpire and the spectators on the outside hard court looked on in stunned disbelief when Kyrgios decided enough was enough.
It is just the latest on-court controversy for Kyrgios, whose undoubted talent has often been betrayed by his quickfire temper.
He hit a lowpoint in Shanghai a year ago when he similarly left the court to jeers, having rowed with the crowd and appeared to give up in his match against Germany’s Mischa Zverev.
Kyrgios was consequently suspended.
