Nick Kyrgios’s classy gesture after nearly hitting ball kid with racket after Rafael Nadal clash: ‘Got a new friend’

Nick Kyrgios was typically temperamental during his match against Rafael Nadal at Indian Wells on Thursday. Kyrgios hurled his racket on the ground immediately after shaking hands with the chair umpire following the 6-7 (0-7) 7-5 6-4 loss in the men’s singles semi-finals.

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The racket ended up bouncing away from the Australian and almost hit a ball kid. Kyrgios put out an apology on his Instagram handle shortly after the match and sought help in tracking down the ball kid. He then posted screenshots of the conversation of the chat he had with him in which he promised to personally give the ball kid a racket.

“Made a new friend in the process. accidents happen but we can go out of our way to make things better,” he said in the tweet along with the screenshots.

Kyrgios lashed out a journalist when asked about the incident at the press conference after the match.

“What would you like me to say about it? Obviously, was that my intention? No. Because I threw a racquet,” the furious Aussie responded.

“Did I throw the racquet anywhere near him originally? It landed a metre from my foot and skidded and nearly hit him. I’m human. Things happen like that. Obviously it was a very misfortunate bounce.

“I think if I did that a million times over it wouldn’t have gone that way. And what do you want me to say? It was three metres away from the kid. That’s a question you’re going to say after a three-hour battle against Nadal. That’s what you come here with?”

Kyrgios contended that the incident “was most definitely not like Zverev”, referencing the German smashing an umpire’s chair with his racquet during the Mexican Open last month.

Kyrgios smashed a racket earlier in the match and also had arguments with a chair umpire and with a member of the crowd who was heckling him.