‘This is messed up’ – Tennis star Nick Kyrgios says he was racially abused by crowd during Andy Murray defeat

Tennis star Nick Kyrgios says he was the victim of racist abuse during his straight-sets defeat to Andy Murray in Stuttgart.

The Australian looked increasingly frustrated during his 6-7 2-6 defeat to the Brit in Saturday’s semi-final in Germany.

Kyrgios was penalised at the start of the second set after losing his temper and smashing his racquet.

Explaining his outburst after the match, Kyrgios wrote on Instagram: ‘When is this going to stop? Dealing with racial slurs from the crowd?

‘I understand that my behaviour isn’t the best all the time – but “you little black sheep”, “shut up and play” – little comments like this are not acceptable.

‘When I retaliate to the crowd, I get penalised. This is messed up.’

Murray’s victory saw him reach his first tour-level final on grass in six years. The 35-year-old will face Wimbledon runner-up Matteo Berrettini in Sunday’s final.

<p lang=«en» dir=«ltr» xml:lang=«en»>A Murray Milestone ð@andy_murray reaches a 70th career final after defeating Kyrgios 7-6 6-2 in Stuttgart#BOSSOPEN @theweissenhof pic.twitter.com/8ji5w1qemv

Three-time Grand Slam champion Murray, currently ranked 68th in the world, won his last ATP Tour title in 2019.

He said: ‘It has been a long time since the last final [on grass].

‘A lot of ups and downs, but I kept going and kept working and finally managed to get to another one. I am proud of the effort I have put in.’

Discussing Kyrgios’ meltdown before the Australian revealed he had been racially abused, Murray added: ‘You’re always battling yourself as well as the opponent, it’s one of the difficult things about individual sports.

‘Nick has the potential to be one of the best players in the world, there’s absolutely no question about that. But he obviously got very