Nick Kyrgios ‘devastated’ after quarterfinal defeat to Karen Khachanov as he destroys two rackets on court
A quarterfinal loss would have been a crushing blow for Australian tennis star Nick Kyrgios, but instead he feels “devastated”, after coming through a 6-5, 6-4, 6-4 defeat to No. 1 Karen Khachanov in the US Open.
Kyrgios, who had lost in the other semi-final to Andy Murray in 2015, had come into the final as a favourite against the 26-year-old Ukrainian, who had never been past the round of 16 in grand slams before.
However, Khachanov hit the ball exceptionally well, breaking down his defence on match points and putting Kyrgios under pressure. He also went all out to win the points in the tie-break and then won the first set.
But after the win, Kyrgios was reduced to tears on court, as he screamed: “What the f*** is wrong with me? I’m a human being! I’m a professional! Why the f*** am I crying?!
“You can’t do emotional things like this. F******’s f***ing ruined my day.”
Kyrgios’ tears were caused by his feelings of betrayal and anger over being handed a life-changing defeat.
Video: Kyrgios gives a tearful interview after loss to Karen Khachanov
“I’m so sad. I feel so disappointed. I’ve worked so hard. I’ve given so much to every single person I’ve played. I just feel so disappointed.
“What is going on in my soul? Why am I going through this emotional thing that I can’t control? I’ll try to figure out an answer for myself. For me, emotional things don’t happen. I have to learn how to control my emotions.”
