Nick Kyrgios claimed he suffered racial abuse during his defeat by Andy Murray in the Stuttgart Open semi-finals.
The Australian lost a tight first set 7-6 on Saturday and proceeded to have a meltdown before the two-time Wimbledon champion ran away with the match in the second, winning it 6-2.
After the match, Kyrgios took to Instagram to explain his outburst and claimed he was the victim of "racial slurs" from the crowd. He wrote: "When is this going to stop? Dealing with racial slurs from the crowd? I UNDERSTAND THAT MY BEHAVIOUR ISN'T THE BEST ALL THE TIME.
"But 'you little BLACK SHEEP', 'shut up and play'... little comments like this are NOT ACCEPTABLE. When I retaliate to the crowd, I get penalised. This is messed up."
After Kyrgios lost the first set 7-5 on the tiebreak, the world number 78 proceeded to smash his racket on the court and his bench.
He received a point penalty for his actions, followed by a game penalty for unsportsmanlike conduct just moments later. The 27-year-old spoke out on issues regarding his mental health last summer and the racism he has received in the past.
"I feel like I'm just resilient," Kyrgios explained in August 2021. "If someone is not as resilient as me mentally, the amount of hate I got, the amount of racism I got, the amount of bulls**t that I got from the tour, from fans, from everything. I'm just saying this sport could have driven me into a place of dark, which it did for a bit, how mentally tough it was for 18, being one of the most well-known players in Australia, getting absolutely hammered by the media. It's not so easy."
The incident caps a disappointing end to the tournament for Kyrgios, who had progressed to the last four without dropping a set. It was a fine performance from Murray however, who has progressed to his 70th career final. In a close first set, the Scot saved both break points he faced and raised his intensity on return in the tie-break to move ahead.
He then hit his watertight groundstrokes aggressively and consistently in the second set to race to the finish and advance after one hour and 33 minutes and the three-time grand slam champion was proud of his efforts.
"It has been a long time since the last final [on grass]," Murray said, reported by atptour.com. A lot of ups and downs, but I kept going and kept working and finally managed to get to another one. I am proud of the effort I have put in. I was just a little more solid in the tie-break. I asked the questions.
"On these courts, when it is playing quick, the set often comes down to one or two points and I was a little more secure at the end of the first set." He will face Matteo Berrettini, who has made an impressive return to the tour after not playing since March due to injury. The Italian won their last meeting in the round of 32 at Queens last year, while Murray their first meeting in Beijing three years ago.
