Share

Djokovic blasts Kyrgios for sexual slur

Montreal - Novak Djokovic racked up his 50th win of 2015 to reach the Montreal Masters last eight and then blasted Nick Kyrgios for the crude sexual slur at Stan Wawrinka which has rocked the sport.

The top seed, and three-time champion in Canada, scored his 28th consecutive victory at the Masters level by seeing off Jack Sock of the United States 6-2, 6-1.

The win, in just 54 minutes, put the world No 1 Serb into the quarter-finals against Latvian qualifer Ernests Gulbis.

Second seed Andy Murray, who is chasing a third title in Canada, also took his season's win tally to 50 with a smooth 6-3, 6-2 triumph over Luxembourg's Gilles Muller.

Djokovic lashed out at Kyrgios who was fined $10 000 for an obscene sexual remark made in Wednesday's clash against Wawrinka. 

Kyrgios was also fined $2 500 for comments made to a ball boy during the match.

On-court microphones picked up the remark made by the 20-year-old Australian concerning Wawrinka's girlfriend.

Kyrgios said that the woman had been involved with his close friend Thanasi Kokkinakis.

"Sorry to tell you that mate," Kyrgios is heard to say with his back turned to the French Open champion.

Djokovic, a close friend of Wawrinka, said Kyrgios deserved to be punished.

"Some players have problems to control themselves on the court. Sometimes when you go through the emotional challenges, it slips out of your mouth," said the top seed.

"But again, there's no excuse for what he has said."

Wawrinka, who seperated from his wife earlier this year and has been linked to Croatian tour player Donna Vekic, said the ATP should take "major action this time".

As well as the maximum $10 000 on-site fine, the ATP said they could not rule out further sanctions.

"He was fined, he deserved it," added Djokovic.

"I think he's going to learn a lesson in a hard way. Hopefully this won't happen to him anymore.

"I understand that every player goes through certain tantrums, emotional ups and downs during the match. In a big fight and at this level, I understand.

"But it's not, I would say, fair, and there's no excuse of directing your tantrums to your opponent, especially to somebody that is not even there."

Djokovic said that Kyrgios, fast earning a reputation as the sport's bad boy, remains one of the potential future stars of the sport.

"He's young, he's definitely one of the players that everybody's looking to.

"His quality of tennis is really remarkable for his age. He's doing very well.

"I've never had any problems with him personally. Off the court we had nice chats, practised with each other."

Results on Thursday from the fourth day of the ATP Montreal Masters (x denotes seeded player):

Third round

Novak Djokovic (SRB x1) bt Jack Sock (USA) 6-2, 6-1

Ernests Gulbis (LAT) bt Donald Young (USA) 6-4, 6-4

Jeremy Chardy (FRA) bt Ivo Karlovic (CRO) 4-6, 7-6 (7/1), 6-4

John Isner (USA x16) bt Nick Kyrgios (AUS) 7-5, 6-3

Andy Murray (GBR x2) bt Gilles Muller (LUX) 6-3, 6-2

Jo-Wilfried Tsonga (FRA x10) bt Bernard Tomic (AUS) 7-6 (9/7), 6-3

Rafael Nadal (ESP x7) bt Mikhail Youzhny (RUS) 6-3, 6-3

Kei Nishikori (JPN x4) bt David Goffin (BEL x13) 6-4, 6-4

We live in a world where facts and fiction get blurred
Who we choose to trust can have a profound impact on our lives. Join thousands of devoted South Africans who look to News24 to bring them news they can trust every day. As we celebrate 25 years, become a News24 subscriber as we strive to keep you informed, inspired and empowered.
Join News24 today
heading
description
username
Show Comments ()
Voting Booth
Should the Proteas pick Faf du Plessis for the T20 World Cup in West Indies and the United States in June?
Please select an option Oops! Something went wrong, please try again later.
Results
Yes! Faf still has a lot to give ...
65% - 510 votes
No! It's time to move on ...
35% - 271 votes
Vote
Editorial feedback and complaints

Contact the public editor with feedback for our journalists, complaints, queries or suggestions about articles on News24.

LEARN MORE