Nick Kyrgios defends expletive-filled rant but Roger Federer offers condemnation

US Open
Nick Kyrgios looks on

Nick Kyrgios has attempted to explain his expletive-filled on-court rant at the US Open on Tuesday.

Kyrgios beat Moldovan Radu Albot 7-5 2-6 6-4 6-2 in Louis Armstrong Stadium but it was his mouth, not his tennis that generated the headlines.

“I’m f****d,” he could be heard saying during the match, “my legs are f***ed. I’m cooked, I’m f***ing done. I can’t play.”

Afterwards, though, he explained to reporters that those antics simply ‘keep him relaxed.’

“I knew it was going to be a tough match,” Kyrigios said. “I’m just happy I got through it, but right now I just want to get something to eat. I’m hungry.”

Not everyone agrees that it’s acceptable, though, with potential third-round opponent Roger Federer voicing his uncertainty.

“I think he finds it hard to not do any of those tricks,” Federer told ESPN.

“Like myself, to some extent, we need the fun, we need the drop shot, we need some variation to everything, but he takes it to the next level.

“I get it, but it’s hard for him.

“At one point, you’d think that it has to slow down a little bit.

“Usually it happens after your teenage years are over, but it’s been a few years and it seems like it’s getting more and more extreme, which is quite interesting.

“I think he very well knows, deep inside of himself, what he also needs to do.”

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