Nick Kyrgios cracks it, throws racquet into the stands

Nick Kyrgios was penalised for swearing, smashed his racquet and then threw it into the stands as the tennis star lost his temper yet again.

Kyrgios was his usual self. Picture: David Gray / AFP

There were grim signs for Nick Kyrgios ahead of Monday’s Australian Open as he moved gingerly around the court and threw a temper tantrum before crashing to a straight sets defeat to Borna Coric at the Murray River Open in Melbourne.

The Australian barely got above third gear in a match that cruised along with short points as he struggled with a left knee injury causing him visible discomfort, allowing Coric to ease to a 6-3 6-4 win.

Kayo is your ticket to the best sport streaming Live & On-Demand. New to Kayo? Get your 14-day free trial & start streaming instantly >

Kyrgios relied purely on his serve to keep him in the contest, using his biggest weapon to ensure Coric still had a fight on his hands after surrendering the first set in 29 minutes.

Even though not at full capacity, that serve was doing the business for Kyrgios as he kept things on a level pegging at 3-3 in the second set.

He received a warning for an expletive-laden tirade at 4-4 as f-bombs were the order of the day, then cracked it completely after being broken, smashing his racquet and throwing it into the stands which, thankfully, were empty.

Kyrgios also found time to complain about the on-court conditions and Melbourne’s weather as both players battled a strong wind. The world No. 47 never looked comfortable and was in a sour mood all match.

The dummy spit comes after the 25-year-old lost his cool in his second round match against Harry Bourchier, where he blew up about receiving a time violation and threatened to walk off the court.

RELATED: Kyrgios erases girlfriend from his memory

RELATED: Australian Open plan revealed after virus scare

Australia's Nick Kyrgios throws his racket out of the court after smashing it. Picture: David Gray / AFP

TOugh day all around for Nick Kyrgios.

Kyrgios started the match reluctant to rally and the trend continued throughout the opening set. He wasn’t pushing himself, preferring to sit back and look for winners to conserve energy.

After winning a game to be down 5-3 in the first set, Kyrgios collapsed on his haunches and looked like he wanted to be anywhere else but on the court.

When Coric won the first set, Kyrgios called out the trainer for treatment on his knee, complaining about the pain he was in as he cut a dejected figure in his chair.

“I can’t serve without pain. I’ll probably just play one more game. I’m serving at like 170 (km/h) instead of 220,” he said.

Kyrgios moaned before the start of the second set and kept on mumbling angry asides to himself as the match wore on.