Hollywood actor Ben Stiller got closer to the action than he'd bargained for at Indian Wells on Thursday after Nick Kyrgios used the star as a prop to make a heckler be quiet.
The often-outspoken tennis talent was level on one set apiece during his quarter-final clash against Rafael Nadal when one spectator pushed his luck too far. Wild card Kyrgios, 26, was serving at deuce in the fifth game of the deciding set, at which point he decided to confront the heckler sat courtside.
After replying "no" when Australian star Kyrgios asked if he was any good at tennis, Kyrgios retorted: "Exactly, so why are you speaking?" He swiftly followed up by pointing to Stiller—star of hits like Dodgeball and There's Something About Mary —who was sat next to his wife and actress Christine Taylor nearby, adding: "Do I tell him how to act? No."
Stiller, 56, was one of many in attendance at Indian Wells Tennis Garden to see the funny side of the exchange. Kyrgios moved on from the incident but eventually succumbed 7-6 (7-0) 5-7 6-4 as Nadal moved into the semi-finals in California, where he'll face Spanish compatriot Carlos Alcaraz.
That back-and-forth wasn't Kyrgios' only outburst on Thursday, having told a fan to "shut the f**k up" following a call from the crowd during the first. Those weren't restricted to the match, either, as the Australian almost hit a ball boy when he smashed his racket into the floor at the end of the three-set encounter.
Sharing his frustrations with chair umpire Carlos Bernardes, he blamed the official for not doing more to simmer down the largely pro-Nadal crowd. The underdog had a right to be angry after a spectator shouting on his serve cost him an ultimately crucial break point at 3-3 in the third set.
What is the worst outburst you've ever witnessed from Nick Kyrgios? Let us know in the comments section.
"How long [are] you going to let that s**t go on for? How long bro? How long?" Kyrgios asked. "If you did something about it before now it wouldn't have happened. It happens again and again and again. Look at the f***ing score. . .it's your job to control [heckling fans], no one else's. You're allowing it over and over and over again, say something."
Kyrgios concluded by sarcastically applauding Bernardes' "unbelievable job of controlling the crowd." Many tennis enthusiasts may notice the irony in his criticism given Kyrgios was scrutinised for firing up his home audience at this year's Australian Open, where he and Thanasi Kokkinakis were crowned doubles champions.
Although he later shook the chair official's hand following Nadal's victory, Kyrgios let loose by slamming his racket into the Indian Wells court. It ricocheted and came within inches of hitting an unsuspecting ball boy at the back of the arena, which he later labelled simply a "misfortunate (sic) bounce."
"What would you like me to say about it? Obviously, was that my intention? No," he told reporters in his post-match press conference. "Because I threw a racket. Did I throw the racket anywhere near him originally? It landed a metre from my foot and skidded and nearly hit him. I’m human. Things happen like that."
Stiller can be thankful the piece of equipment didn't skip its way into the audience considering he was sat so close to the action. The ball boy in question was unharmed, and a young member of the crowd came away with the smashed racket.
Nadal will attempt to continue his quest for Indian Wells glory when he takes on 18-year-old Alcaraz, the competition's youngest semi-finalist since Andre Agassi in 1988. Elsewhere, Russian Andrey Rublev takes on Grigor Dimitrov for a place in the last four, while American Taylor Fritz faces Miomir Kecmanovic in the other quarter-final.
