Tennis star Nick Kyrgios calls Australian swimming legend racist

Nick Kyrgios

Wimbledon, July 7 (IANS)

Australian tennis star Nick Kyrgios called compatriot Olympic swimming great Dawn Fraser a “blatant racist” on Tuesday after she said players should “go back to where their parents came from” if they cannot behave.

Kyrgios, who has a Malaysian mother and Greek father, is an Australian passport holder who lost 7-5 6-1 6-7 (7-9) 7-6 (8-6) in the fourth round against Frenchman Richard Gasquet on Monday.

Kyrgios clashed repeatedly with British umpire James Keothavong throughout the match and exhibited poor body language. He was booed by the spectators when he appeared to have given up fighting during the match. The 20-year-old was also given a code violation for bad language, prompting Fraser to question his conduct and attitude, reports bbc.com.

Kyrgios responded to Fraser through on Tuesday, saying, “Throwing a racket, brat. Debating the rules, disrespectful. Frustrated when competing, spoilt. Showing emotion, arrogant. Blatant racist, Australian legend.”

Fraser won eight Olympic medals, including four gold medals in a stellar career. She who won the 100m freestyle at three successive Olympic Games from 1956 to 1964. She earlier said, “It's absolutely disgusting. I am so shocked to think that he went out there to play and he tanked, he did all that tanking, that's terrible,” bbc.com quoted her saying.

“They should be setting a better example for the younger generation of this country, a great country of ours. If they don't like it, go back to where their fathers or their parents came from. We don't need them here in this country if they act like that,” she said.

Fraser later issued an apology, saying her comments were not racist.