‘I refuse to play!’ Nick Kyrgios lashes out at umpires in latest furious rant

Nick Kyrgios crashed out of Queen’s Club in spectacular fashion on Thursday while showcasing his usual ‘bad boy’ persona with angry tantrums and arguments, in which he branded the experienced umpires a disgrace.

The 23-year-old young gun has worked himself up a less than impressive reputation for his fiery outbursts over the years and this week’s match against Canadian Felix Auger-Aliassime was no different, as he went down 6-7 (7-4), 7-4 (7-3), 7-5.

Throughout the three hour match, Kyrgios argued with fans and officials, swung a ball into nearby houses and lashed out at chair umpire Fergus Murphy for his supposedly incorrect calls, The Sydney Morning Herald reports.

At one point the Aussie even threatened to walk off court after boldly claiming a line judge was rigging the match.

"… your hat looks ridiculous also, it's not even sunny" – @NickKyrgios pic.twitter.com/CQnHQZfzp5

— Tom Hartley (@TomHartley_7) June 20, 2019

“Bro, you are taking the f***ing p*** mate,” he reportedly told Murphy. “The ball was this far out, no joke. What are you doing? It’s so far long. Like, what are you actually doing up there? Bro, it’s taking the p***. I refuse to play.

He added: “Your hat looks ridiculous, also. It’s not even sunny.”

His behaviour didn’t dial down throughout the match with Kyrgios also blowing up at umpire James Keothavong after he issued him a code violation for smashing a ball out of the court.

“I thought some of the calls were outrageous today,” he exclaimed according to The Sydney Morning Herald. “It shouldn’t have to come down to me and Felix giving each other points. He gave me a point at a pretty crucial time, and I gave him a point at a pretty crucial time.

“For me doing a code violation, why can’t they get fined for having a terrible day in the chair? There’s hundreds of thousands of dollars on the line. It’s not a joke.”

The outrage comes after footage of the star being interviewed by a young reporter was shared across the internet just hours ago, showcasing Kyrgios’ softer side.

The Aussie player sat down for a hilarious chat with tennis fan Vuk Vitic, with the pair discussing everything from fellow tennis aces Andy Murray and Novak Djokovic to his favourite dance moves.

However, Vuk didn’t let the current world number 39 off easy, also quizzing him on his behaviour and sometimes poor work ethic which has garnered him a lot of hate in the past.

"Do you get told off when you don't work hard at tennis?"#TennisForKids reporter Vuk asks @NickKyrgios whatever he wants at @QueensTennis 🤣🤣

And get your kids on court this summer 👉 https://t.co/mzE76hqHiB pic.twitter.com/WkajQFdevV

— LTA (@the_LTA) June 18, 2019

Getting right into the nitty gritty, the young journalist didn’t hesitate before jumping in with the hard questions, asking Kyrgios about his apparent lack of commitment to the game.

After exchanging niceties, he confidently asked: “I get off if I don’t work hard at school. Do you get told off when you don’t work hard at tennis?”

“I don’t have a coach so no one tells me anything,” the Aussie boldly replied which made Vuk giggle. “So but yeah, I should work hard.”

Read more: ‘You don’t try’: Nick Kyrgios grilled by child reporter in hilarious interview

Prompting him further the young boy commented: “I mean some people told me, not me, but that you don’t try sometimes.”

“Yeah I don’t,” Kyrgios admitted. “Makes me a bad guy though.”

Offering a bit of advice Vuk then suggested: “You ought to try.” To which the tennis star replied: “Yeah you’re right.”

Do you enjoy watching the tennis? What do  you think of Nick Kyrgios’ behaviour?