Nick Kyrgios does not always make the news for being a fiery tennis player, one of those who tends to complicate his rivals beyond the rankings, but also because of his particular personality which led him to play in various controversies throughout his career. And, this Thursday, Bad Boy added a new episode to its history. Another madness.

The Aussie took on France’s Benjamin Bonzi for the US Open second round, in a match that ended with the Melbourne native winning 7-6(3), 6-4, 4-6, 6-4. The duel was played with great intensity on the Louis Armstrong court and, at times, there was friction between Kyrgios and his opponent, which stole all eyes.

As the two players squared off for the second set of the match, Nick complained to the chair umpire about a strong smell of marijuana coming from the stands which bothered him. Referee Jaume Campistol accepted his complaint and decided to issue a warning over the loudspeaker, after the tennis player asked him to.

“Out of courtesy to the players, please refrain from smoking around the pitch.” said the referee. “If it was food smells, I wouldn’t complain” had previously told him about Bad Boy, who had shown himself to be very upset by the situation.

Later, at the end of the match, the Emperor made known the reasons for his request: “People don’t know I have asthma. When I run from side to side I find it hard to breathe, it’s probably not something I want to breathe between points. It should be mentioned that in New York it is legal to consume cannabis for recreational purposes.

“I had a hard time concentrating on my race, so I try to put my head down and play point by point, get out of certain situations, but it’s difficult because there are so many distractions. There’s also a lot of boos, people saying things and I have to be very careful what I say these days. he added, during a press conference.

After that, the confrontation continued and Kirgios, although one round away from victory against the Frenchman, began to get complicated. His nerves began to take over, allowing his opponent to rise, who still had a fighting chance to stay alive.

After an error forced him to give up his serve, the Aussie exploded on the change of ends. It was at this moment that he made a gesture immediately rejected by the public present: he spat at the net, in the direction of his opponent, whom he stared at before the action, visibly dazed at having missed the point earlier.

Although his act did not escalate and there was no response from the Frenchman, the umpire reacted immediately, warning Bad Boy of his action. Later, during the break, he remained on the bench, lashing out at his relatives, whom he insulted to vent his anger.

In the end, Kyrgios wins and advances to the third round of the Grand Slam, where he will face the American Jeffrey John Wolf (87th), who left the Chilean Alejandro Tabilo (71st) on the road, after beating him by 6-4, 5-7, 4-6 and 3-6.