Australian tennis player Nick Kyrgios was knocked out of the US Open in a decisive three-set loss to Spain’s Roberto Bautista Agut Monday night, but not before frequent tantrums over towels.

Kyrgios cursed and feuded with the chair umpire because the bin was too far away for him to walk and discard used, sweaty towels. Because of Covid protocols, tennis players are required to place used towels in the bin without assistance from a ball boy or girl.

Kyrgios could be seen arguing with chair umpire Carlos Bernardes over the towel dispute. Although it was hard to hear what was said on the broadcast, tennis journalist Tumaini Carayol of The Guardian shared one of the exchanges.

After being told by Bernardes, “it’s part of the game,” Kyrgios quickly fired back and disagreed.

“It’s not part of the game,” Kyrgios ranted. “So texting someone’s part of the game, too? Taking 20-minute bathroom breaks is part of the game? That’s part of the game. Everything’s part of the game. I need to take a sh*t. Ah, part of the game. It’s f*cking stupid.”

“It’s a f*cking joke, mate,” Kyrgios said, complaining because he had to walk “20 extra steps,” to put his towel in the bin. One of the announcers on the broadcast blasted Kyrgios for his constant bickering with Bernardes, saying the dispute was “almost like a parent talking to a spoiled child.”

Following the loss, the 26-year-old tennis player continued his towel rant to reporters. “Look, the towel situation for me is incredibly stupid,” Kyrgios said. “I’m one of the players on Tour that is fully vaccinated.”

“As of now, I’m getting treated exactly the same as a player that is not vaccinated,” he continued. “I feel like if I want my towel around the court, if it’s not disturbing Bautista Agut’s vision, if he doesn’t see the towel, I don’t see anything wrong with having my towel on the side or on the ground. And it’s just absurd for me.”

Watch above via ESPN

The post Tennis Player Has Profane Meltdown Over Covid Rules for Towels During US Open Loss: ‘F*cking Joke’ first appeared on Mediaite.

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