Nick Kyrgios has caused a stir at the US Open, complaining to the chair umpire about a whiff of marijuana from the crowd during his second-round match.
Midway through the second set of his encounter with Frenchman Benjamin Bonzi, Kyrgios claimed he could smell marijuana smoke from the stands.
He continued to complain during a change of ends, requesting that a warning be given to the crowd.
The umpire initially thought Kyrgios was referring to smoke from food, much to the dismay of the Australian.
“You don’t even want to remind anyone not to do it?”, Kyrgios said
“It was f***ing marijuana.
“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.”
An ESPN broadcast also said their reporter at the match confirmed the smell of marijuana.
A warning was then issued to the crowd as the two players returned to the court.
“Ladies and gentlemen, a reminder that you cannot smoke on court,” the umpire said.
Whilst recreational cannabis is legal in the state of New York, the US Open does not permit any kind of smoking.
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This isn’t the first crowd-related incident Kyrgios has been involved in, most recently accusing a spectator at the Wimbledon final of consuming ‘700 drinks’.
That matter is now set to be taken to court, with Polish lawyer Anna Palus confirming legal action against the 27-year-old.
Palus is aiming to ‘clear her name’ after Kyrgios’ accusations were broadcast globally.
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There was also further drama during Kyrgios’ second-round match, with the Australian issued a code violation warning for unsportsmanlike behaviour.
After being broken in the third set, Kyrgios swore towards his player’s box and spat on the court.
He went on to lose that set but recovered to win 7-6 (3) 6-4 4-6 6-4.
Kyrgios will next face American wildcard J.J. Wolf in the third round.
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