Nick Kyrgios defiant after tumultuous Indian Wells loss to Rafael Nadal
Nick Kyrgios lashed out when questioned about a frustration-fueled fling of his racquet that sent a ball boy ducking for cover on Thursday after the Australian's crushing loss to Rafael Nadal at the Indian Wells WTA and ATP Masters. Kyrgios insisted the ugly incident was barely worthy of comment, and not on the scale, for example, of ATP colleague Alexander Zverev's meltdown in Mexico, that saw the German fined $40,000 for bashing an umpire's chair with his racquet. "Did I throw my racquet anywhere near him (the ball boy) originally," Kyrgios said. "It landed a meter from my foot and skidded and nearly hit him. "I'm human. Things happen like that. It was an accident. It most definitely wasn't like Zverev. It was a complete accident. I didn't hit him, thankfully. It wasn't my intention. "So, thankfully, he's OK." Nadal and Kyrgios had already shaken hands, and the Spaniard didn't see him throw the racquet after the match.
