Australian tennis legend Pat Cash thought Nick Kyrgios definitely crossed the line several times during his Wimbledon match versus Stefanos Tsitsipas. Cash, the 1987 Wimbledon champion, accused Kyrgios of “bringing tennis to the lowest level” with his “cheating, manipulation, abuse and aggressive behavior.”
In the end, it was Kyrgios who won a very tense match as he beat Tsitsipas 6-7 (2) 6-4 6-3 7-6 (7). Even though Kyrgios won and an Australian has been through to the Wimbledon last-16, Cash doesn’t seem to be too thrilled as he described it as a “circus” and added “something needs to be done.”
“It was absolute mayhem,” Cash told BBC radio, per Tennis365. He’s brought tennis to the lowest level I can see as far as gamesmanship, cheating, manipulation, abuse, aggressive behaviour to umpires, to linesmen.
He was lucky to even get through the first set, he should have been defaulted in the first set. Something’s got to be done about it – it’s just an absolute circus. Is it entertaining? Yeah, possibly. It’s gone to the absolute limit now”.
Cash on what he meant by accusing Kyrgios of cheating
“The gamesmanship. The abuse he was giving,” Cash explained. “Tsitsipas would make a line call and he’d go up there and start complaining, he’d be in his face – that’s part of gamesmanship, that’s the sort of stuff he does and I think there’s a limit.
I have no problems with a bit of gamesmanship but, when it gets to that level, I think it’s just out of control. As it was, the umpire lost control. The ball kids were running across the court as Kyrgios was serving, he didn’t slow down for any of that stuff.
Tsitsipas got sucked right into it – so it was entertaining and fascinating, but for me it’s gone too far now”. Kyrgios plays Brandon Nakashima today on the Centre Court.
