The Australian star defeated home favorite Paul Jubb 3-6 6-1 7-5 6-7 (3-7) 7-5 in an entertaining match, but felt a supporter crossing the line.
After winning match point, Kyrgios turned to one of the stands and spat on the ground as he made his way to the net.
When asked by a reporter if he was indeed spitting at that fan, Kyrgios replied: “From one of the people who disrespect me, yes. I wouldn’t do that to someone who supported me.
“I think it’s okay to receive a lot of it [heckling]† What I don’t understand is that as soon as I give it back, say in Stuttgart, I gave it back, and I got a game penalty.
“As soon as I won the competition, I turned to him. I’ve dealt with hate and negativity for a long time, so I don’t feel I owed that person anything.
“He literally came to the game to just not really support anyone. It was more to stir up and be disrespectful.”
Kyrgios had said earlier this month that he had been racially abused by a member of the public during a tournament in Stuttgart, which organizers say was under investigation.
The Australian said Tuesday he had not been racially abused, but was concerned about the frequency of abuse by fans.
“I’m just starting to think it’s normal when it really isn’t,” he told reporters. “I didn’t say anything to the crowd until they started, every time I got to the far end. I don’t know if it’s normal or not.
“It has nothing to do with Wimbledon. I just think a whole generation of people, like on social media, feel that they have the right to react negatively to everything. It just goes on in real life.
“Because there’s a fence there and I can’t physically do or say anything because I’m going to get in trouble, so they just feel like they can just say whatever they want.”
That was not the only flash point of the match, as Kyrgios was also not happy with a lines judge’s ruling at a point in the opening set.
He later said during his press conference that Wimbledon referees should be younger, as “people who are younger have better eyesight”.
Krygios will play a doubles match with Thanasi Kokkinakis on Wednesday, before continuing his singles campaign on Thursday against 26th-seeded Filip Krajinović.
