Nick Kyrgios had some pretty harsh words for Cristian Garin after watching footage of the Estoril Open incident as the Australian tennis star thinks the Chilean “cheated” and also called for the chair umpire should be dismissed from his job.
On Friday, world No. 112 Garin was taking on Portuguese home favorite Borges in the Estoril quarterfinal. Down by a set, Borgs had a 3-2 lead in the second set and a break point in the sixth game when a very controversial moment happened.
After Garin hit the ball, someone from the crowd called it out but Borges returned it to the Chilean’s side of the court. Garin then hit the ball that landed wide out. After it went out, Garin instantly started complaining that Borges stopped the point and that he was distracted.
When chair umpire Christian Rask announced his decision, many were left shocked that the point was actually awarded to Garin. That left pretty much everyone baffled as many thought that either awarding the point to Borges or replaying it in the worst-case scenario were two options.
After the supervisor was called to the court and heard from all parties, he sided with Rask’s decision.
Reacting to a video of the incident, Kyrgios wrote on X: “This umpire should be fired and never be able to take place in another match. Disgrace.”
How could you possibly say you won that point? Just because he stops moving doesn’t mean he stopped the point? Best case a replay. YOU MISSED THE BALL IN THE TRAM LINE 😶🌫️ how can you win that point?
— Nicholas Kyrgios (@NickKyrgios) April 5, 2024
Kyrgios rips Garin as a cheater
After the drama, Garin went on to complete a 6-2 7-6 (3) win over Borges. Addressing the incident after the match, Garin defended himself by saying that Borges stopped the point – that it was a crazy atmosphere out there – and that he couldn’t really make a judgment on the court what was right or wrong solution in that situation.
“He stopped the point. I stopped too. I don’t know if it’s my point or if we should replay it. Need to check it. I will check it later. The atmosphere was crazy after that and I’m very proud of myself. It was kind of annoying during the match…” Garin said after the match.
After reading Garin’s comments, Kyrgios had none of it, asking: “How could you possibly say you won that point? Just because he stops moving doesn’t mean he stopped the point? Best case a replay. YOU MISSED THE BALL IN THE TRAM LINE. How can you win that point?”
How could you possibly say you won that point? Just because he stops moving doesn’t mean he stopped the point? Best case a replay. YOU MISSED THE BALL IN THE TRAM LINE 😶🌫️ how can you win that point?
— Nicholas Kyrgios (@NickKyrgios) April 5, 2024
Kyrgios also noticed Tennis TV’s post about Garin’s win that read: “That was tasty. @Garin_Cris defeats Borges 6-2 7-6 to reach the last four.”
Kyrgios thought Tennis TV made a wrong word selection and corrected them by saying they should have used the word “cheating.”
No it was cheating
— Nicholas Kyrgios (@NickKyrgios) April 6, 2024
Borges: Garin doesn’t look good in this situation
For Borges, losing in front of his home fans, especially in such a way, was a tough blow. Sharing his thoughts on the incident that played a big role in the outcome of the second set, Borges made it clear that he felt the chair umpire made a wrong decision.
When addressing Garin’s role in all of that, Borges acknowledged that the call that came from someone from the crowd might have influenced the Chilean’s shot. But if that was indeed the case, Borges suggests Garin should have done the right thing and have the point replayed.
“I left the court without understanding the umpire’s judgment. He knows he made a mistake,” Borges said after the match.
“It didn’t make any sense. Point shouldn’t stop because someone in the crowd shouts. He felt something coming from the crowd but we continued but he missed. Garin told me he missed because I stopped. It’s not his fault, but he doesn’t look good in this situation as well…”
Borges, 27, didn’t really make a good start to his first Estoril quarterfinal as Garin easily won the first set after claiming back-to-back breaks in the third and fifth games.
In the second set, Borges saved an early break point in the third game before clinching his first break points in the sixth game. In that game – when the incident happened – Borges had a total of six break points but didn’t convert any.
In the ninth game, Borges saved two break points before the set went into a tie-break, where the Portuguese led 2-1 through the first three games. Unfortunately for Borges, he then lost six of the next seven points as Garin went on to win the tie-break and seal a two-set win.
For Borges, Estoril was still a great tournament as he made his first ATP quarterfinal of the year.
