Drama-filled timeline of Nick Kyrgios controversies makes for wild reading

Nick Kyrgios’ rollercoaster ride to the Wimbledon final featured plenty of blow-ups, broken chairs and even a Hollywood star.

Not even Ben Stiller is safe from the Kyrgios circus.

Nick Kyrgios’ appearance in the Wimbledon final was the biggest achievement in his career — but like with most of his tennis exploits over the years, it wasn’t a smooth ride.

The Aussie star lost to Novak Djokovic in the Wimbledon final on Sunday night after he mowed down the field — save for Rafael Nadal, who pulled out of their semi-final with injury — while creating the usual range of controversial headlines that have become synonymous with him at every tournament.

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Below is a timeline of the major occasions where Kyrgios has gone rogue. There’s not enough space to go through every instance where the Canberran has shouted at an umpire or line judge, so we’ve tried to stick to even more scandalous moments — from sledges about girlfriends to dragging Hollywood icons into spats with spectators.

2015

— Caught saying “dirty scum” during his Wimbledon clash against Diego Schwartzman. Kyrgios maintained he was talking about himself.

— Booed off the court at Wimbledon after being accused of tanking against Richard Gasquet

— Delivered a disgusting sledge to Stan Wawrinka during their clash in Montreal, telling the Swiss star: “Kokkinakis banged your girlfriend. Sorry to tell you that, mate.” The remark, referring to fellow Aussie tennis star Thanasi Kokkinakis, cost Kyrgios a $36,000 fine and a 28-day suspended ban from the ATP.

Kyrgios and Wawrinka didn’t get on so well during their Montreal clash. (Photo by PEDRO PARDO / AFP)

2016

— If he’d faced “allegations” of tanking before, there was no doubting this was the real deal at a tournament in Shanghai. “Can you call time so I can finish this match and go home,” Kyrgios asked the umpire. Afterwards, the Canberran didn’t even bother denying he’d blatantly tanked. He was banned for eight weeks and fined nearly $50,000.

2017

— Kyrgios was involved in a heated exchange with Dudi Sela at the Mexico Open. The umpire needed to step an and break up the confrontation, which occurred after Kyrgios told boisterous fans supporting his opponent to “shut the f*** up”.

2018

— Kyrgios was fined for simulating a sex act with a water bottle during a match against Marin Cilic at Queen’s. “Let’s get that water bottle thing clear, it was bad and I shouldn’t have done it with kids watching,” Kyrgios said at the time. “It was unacceptable.”

2019

— Organisers at the Rome Open needed to make a trip to Ikea after Kyrgios destroyed a chair on court when he lost the plot against Casper Ruud and was disqualified.

— Not a temper tantrum this time, but some brutal honesty. During a loss to Roger Federer at the Laver Cup, Kyrgios told teammates he wasn’t at his best because he was distracted by a “hot chick in the crowd”.

— Kyrgios was a headline-making machine at the Mexico Open in 2019. First he caused a storm by serving underarm during his victory over Rafael Nadal. The Spaniard later accused Kyrgios of “lacking respect” for his opponents and the sport, but the Aussie stood his ground and — not for the first or last time — took a swipe at Nadal for playing too slow.

😱(🎥@TennisTV ) #ibi19pic.twitter.com/ku2wRVc7Lq

— doublefault28 (@doublefault28) May 16, 2019

— Speaking on the No Challenges Remaining podcast, Kyrgios blasted a “super salty” Nadal and called the veteran’s uncle and former coach Toni an “idiot”. Kyrgios also took aim at Novak Djokovic’s “cringe-worthy” celebrations and said the Serbian had a “sick obsession to be liked”.

— The night before his blockbuster clash against Nadal at Wimbledon this year, Kyrgios was partying at a local pub into the wee hours. He even outed a journalist who was at the pub with him during a post-match press conference.

2020

— Choosing to sit out the tour as Covid ravaged the world, Kyrgios lashed Djokovic for “boneheaded” decisions to hold exhibition tournaments and disregard medical advice.

— Kyrgios also blasted a “selfish” and “wildly self-centred” Alexander Zverev, who was seen partying just hours after apologising for playing in Djokovic’s widely condemned Adria Tour and promising to self-isolate.

2022

— We know we said we’d steer clear of the umpire tantrums because there are too many to count, but Kyrgios’ spectacular tirade against chair umpire Carlos Bernardes at the Miami Open couldn’t be ignored. He yelled at the top of his lungs and demanded Bernardes be “sacked on the spot” before continuing his attack on social media after a loss to Jannik Sinner.

— Kyrgios dragged Hollywood icon Ben Stiller into things during the quarter-finals at Indian Wells. Stiller was watching in the front row behind the baseline when a spectator ticked Kyrgios off. The heckler replied “no” when Kyrgios asked “are you good at tennis?” before the Aussie used Stiller to make his point. “Exactly, so don’t tell me how to play. Do I tell him how to act?” Kyrgios said as he pointed at the actor. “Shut the f*** up,” the wild child uttered later.

— And then we come to Wimbledon, where Kyrgios admitted to spitting towards a spectator, deliberately broke the grand slam’s strict all-white dress code, demanded Stefanos Tsitsipas be disqualified and faces allegations of “grabbing” his ex-girlfriend.

Kyrgios: 🗣 “Are you good at tennis?”

Heckler: 🗣 “No”

Kyrgios: 🗣 “Exactly so don't tell me how to play” *points at Ben Stiller in the crowd* - “Do I tell him how to act?” 🤣

pic.twitter.com/fyn435px2B

— SPORTbible (@sportbible) March 19, 2022