Nick Kyrgios went too far with crude Stan Wawrinka insult, says Mark Petchey
Friday 14 August 2015 15:14, UK
Nick Kyrgios' insult to Stan Wawrinka and his reported girlfriend was "gutless" and could result in his isolation from the dressing room, says Mark Petchey.
The fiery Australian sledged his Swiss opponent's personal life during a Montreal Masters second-round match on Wednesday night that Kyrgios won 6-7 (6-8) 6-3 4-0 after Wawrinka retired injured.
Kyrgios has been fined an undisclosed amount after muttering a jibe towards Wawrinka linking his alleged girlfriend - the world No 127 from Croatia, Donna Vekic - to a previous relationship with Thanasi Kokkinakis.
Petchey told Sky Sports News HQ: "It's utterly gutless - he didn't even say it to Stan's face. He whispered it at a microphone.
"Kokkinakis can't ever trust Kyrgios again with anything, if this is what is going to happen.
"I think he has broken the code. It's that unwritten rule in life - you don't dredge two other people through it.
"It probably does need the players to make make him aware that's an unacceptable way to behave."
I think he (Kyrgios) has broken the code. It's that unwritten rule in life – you don't dredge two other people through it.
The insult is Kyrgios' latest controversy in a string of on-court misdemeanours, coming not long after he lost his cool in a Wimbledon defeat to Richard Gasquet.
But Petchey insists that the real victim is Vekic, the 19-year-old who has been a mixed doubles partner of Kokkinakis and is currently romantically linked to Wawrinka.
"I feel so sorry for Donna," he said. "You need to give her some thoughts. This is defining her at the moment which is completely unfair.
"At every single angle you look at it, it was really poor. We've got to see whether he will come out and be repentant."
Petchey said later on Sky Sports: "There's nothing I can sit here and say in terms of a defence of what he did.
"Not only has he let himself down but more importantly he's dragged a friend through social media and the papers and obviously a young girl as well.
"Everything that Nick's done, hopefully he'll take a long hard look at himself and apologise and admit that you've made a mistake.
"There is a line - there has to be a line - and I think he went over it emphatically with the size 12s."
The 20-year-old did make an apology just after being fined for the incident, writing on his Facebook page: "I would like to take this opportunity to apologise for the comments I made during the match last night v Stan Wawrinka.
"My comments were made in the heat of the moment and were unacceptable on many levels.
"In addition to the private apology I've made, I would like to make a public apology as well. I take full responsibility for my actions and regret what happened."
