Australian tennis star Nick Kyrgios is known for his fiery temper, often losing his cool with umpires, opponents, audience and even his own entourage. On Wednesday, the 27-year-old went down in five sets to Russian Karen Khachanov in the quarterfinals of the US Open. After his defeat, Kyrgios was furious and he expressed his frustration on his racket, hitting it repeatedly on the ground before forcibly tossing it down. He eventually destroyed the racket in its meltdown.
Watch: Nick Kyrgios repeatedly knocks racket to the ground after leaving US Open
Nick Kyrgios Meltdown After US Open Quarterfinal Loss! pic.twitter.com/hUTaihlTBF
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Russian 27th seed Khachanov triumphed 7-5, 4-6, 7-5, 6-7 (3/7), 6-4 over the Wimbledon runner-up to make the last four in a major for the first time.
“I’m clearly devastated. But all credit to Karen. He’s a fighter. He’s a warrior,” Kyrgios said after the match.
“It’s just devastating. It’s heartbreaking. Not just for me, but for everyone I know who wants me to win,” he added.
“I feel like I just failed at this event at the moment. That’s how it feels,” he said of his defeat to Khachanov.
“Honestly, I don’t even really care about any other tournament. I feel like I’m at the Grand Slams, now that I’m having success at a Grand Slam, it’s like no other tournament really matters,” added he to it.
promoted
Kyrgios had reached the Wimbledon final earlier this year, but went down in four sets to Novak Djokovic as the Serb won his 21st Grand Slam title.
With AFP inputs
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