Tennis

Nick Kyrgios rips tennis double standard for Novak Djokovic

Published May. 23, 2016 11:06 a.m. ET

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The 2016 French Open was only about 45 minutes old before Nick Kyrgios - who else - became embroiled in its first controversy. This time, it wasn't entirely his doing. In a first set tie-break against Marco Cecchinato, the fiery Australian was assessed a code violation for snapping at a ball kid to bring his towel faster.

Kyrgios said he yelled at the youngster because the crowd was so loud and he wanted the ball kid to hear him. Chair umpire Carlos Ramos saw through that "dog ate my homework" excuse and upheld the warning because, as he said, "it's not that you said 'towel!' too loud, it's the way you said it," which frankly sounds like an argument between a married couple ("I didn't say you were crazy, I said you were being crazy.") even though it was a spot-on assessment. This was followed by a number of repeated rhetorical questions by Kyrgios and some peppered-in profanity.

The 21-year-old really did ask for the towel like a jerk. That's not in question. Whether the few snappish words deserved a warning is another matter. (They don't.) Kyrgios, of course, denied all wrongdoing and then, because he's always punching up, compared himself to the best player in the world. "When [Novak] Djokovic pushed the line umpire out of the way, he gets nothing, [expletive]," Kyrgios told the chair.

He was referring to an incident this month at the Rome Open in which Novak Djokovic touched umpire Carlos Bernardes as they both inspected a ball mark in the clay. The touch was neither as bad as Kyrgios made it out to be, nor as innocuous as Djokovic would later claim. He had sort of swatted away the umpire's arm, explaining later, "The only thing I minded with Carlos is he was actually touching the mark. He was kind of creating his own mark." Nevertheless, he made contact with an official.

In his post-match presser, a reporter lobbed Kyrgios a question about whether Djokovic got off easy and the Aussie didn't disappoint in slamming home the return. "I think we all know in this room if that was me that did that, it would be an absolute circus," he replied. "But if he did it, you know, nothing really happened of it. It speaks for itself."

Kyrgios is right. If he'd done what Djokovic did, they'd have taken him out to the clay court and given him a dirt nap. People would have been calling for a default (even though the rules clearly state the punishment for such an incident would be more of a point penalty). The clip would have been replayed endlessly around the world. Tennis's public enemy No. 1 would have a new offense for his rap sheet. (Australian news stations are already running polls asking whether Kyrgios should still be on the Olympic team after his blowup.)

For Djokovic? Eh, we'll let bygones be bygones. 

(TIZIANA FABI/AFP/Getty Images)

By the letter of the law, Djokovic touched an opponent and should have been assessed a penalty. But Bernardes, to his credit, applied some common sense to the matter: Djokovic hadn't shoved him or tried to start an altercation, he gently pushed away the umpire's arm. Officials should be able to use discretion to assess rules.

Conversely, if Djokovic (or, more likely, Andy Murray) had brusquely asked for a towel, no umpire would have dared give a warning. Kyrgios was getting to the heart of why: It's a double standard.

And, of course there is! Stars get preferential treatment! This is news to Nick Kyrgios, who loves the NBA and clearly understands why LeBron can take more steps before a basket than my FitBit registers for an entire day and not get whistled for traveling? Or, to use a more timely example, why Draymond Green will probably be suspended for kicking Steven Adams in the groin during Sunday's Western Conference Finals, but Steph Curry or Kevin Durant probably would have skated? This is what makes the world go round. There are different sets of rules for powerful people. Kyrgios isn't Djokovic - not yet. He doesn't get that leeway. Actually, he has a shorter rope because of all his other transgressions.

(Dennis Grombkowski/Getty Images)

There's only two ways for him to break the pattern: Either stop doing stupid, immature stuff on the court (he's 21 now - the "he's young" excuse is quickly disappearing) or get to be as good as Djokovic. He seems to be halfway to the former - he was conciliatory during the match (e.g. not questioning the sexual proclivities of Cecchinato's significant other) and expressing understanding of the difficulties for ball kids and officials. "It's not an easy job out there," he said. "Especially five-set matches, to concentrate, I think they do a good job. All in all, they do a good job."

Kyrgios, of course, won in three sets. 

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