Rugby League legend Matthew Johns has publicly lambasted Nick Kyrgios for his performance and behaviour at the Shanghai Masters.
The controversial Australian tennis star was heard telling his courtside fans that he would walk off the court if he lost the first set. Sure enough, he retired early after losing the set to American Steve Johnson.
Kyrgios later took to Twitter to apologize to his fans, citing a stomach ache as the reason he left. He has been fined $40 000 by the ATP.
Matthew Johns and Mark Geyer criticised Kyrgios’s conduct on their Triple M morning radio show, The Grill. Each of them expressed how disappointed they were with the performance of the World No. 21.
“It’s embarrassing behaviour, and it’s offensive the deliberate lack of effort from this individual,” said Johns, “People pay good money to watch this match. He tells supporters courtside that if he loses the first set he’s going to walk off”.
The tennis star hit back via Twitter, referencing Johns’ involvement in a group sex controversy in 2002.
Why is Matty Johns talking about individual sports? Didn't he like doing things in groups? ??♂️??????♂️
— Nicholas Kyrgios (@NickKyrgios) October 12, 2017
In an interview in 2009, Johns confessed to his role in the controversy, seeing him stood down from channel 9’s The Footy Show.
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