Nick Kyrgios has caused controversy at Wimbledon after admitting to deliberately trying to hit opponent Rafael Nadal with the ball during his second-round loss on Thursday.
A fiery and absorbing contest between the hot-headed Australian and two-time SW19 champion Nadal on Centre Court was level at one set and four games apiece when the latter came to clinch the next game at the net, only to lose the point when a thunderous baseline shot from Kyrgios was struck straight at him.
Nadal managed to deflect it with his racquet but was clearly unhappy with the shot, glaring at Kyrgios for a few seconds before turning away to continue his service game.
"Why would I apologise?" Kyrgios questioned in his post-match press conference when asked if he regretted not saying sorry.
In a terse exchange, he also challenged a reporters' assertion that it was the convention in tennis, adding: "I didn't hit him. Hit his racquet, no?
"Why would I apologise? I won the point."
"And?" he responded when it was put to him that Nadal did not look too pleased.
"I don't care [that he seemed to wind him up]. Why would I apologise? I mean, the dude has got how many slams, how much money in the bank account?
"I think he can take a ball to the chest, bro. I'm not going to apologise to him at all."
When asked if he had aimed the ball straight at Nadal, Kyrgios then said: "Yeah, I was going for him. Yeah, I wanted to hit him square in the chest. Like, he's got decent hands."
There is mounting history between the pair, with Nadal accusing Kyrgios of lacking respect towards "the public, the rival and himself" after losing to the world no43 in Acapulco earlier this year.
Kyrgios later labelled his rival as "super salty" during a podcast appearance and called Rafael's uncle and long-time coach Toni Nadal an "idiot".
"I know when you hit this kind of ball, the ball can go anywhere," Nadal said of the incident on Thursday. "This time the ball went in, almost hit me, no problem. I am professional, so I know how to avoid this.
"But another one, the ball goes straight to the back so it could have been dangerous for the line umpire. That ball hits an eye or something like this, is a problem. That's it. I am not angry about him at all."
