‘F**k, they did it so much’ – Nick Kyrgios explains “incredibly irritating” crowd chant
Australian Open fans have left some confused with what sound like strong boos coming from the stands during matches, but Nick Kyrgios pointed out it is actually a trend picked up from football.
Manchester United’s Cristiano Ronaldo has a now famous goal celebration where he shouts “Siuuuu!” as he leaps in the air.
Fans at matches take to echoing the Portuguese star, with many now doing so at the Australian Open in support of players, despite the fact that it can be misconstrued as booing.
“I wasn’t getting booed, that’s not getting booed,” Kyrgios explained in his post-match press conference.
“It’s just a stupid, f**k, i can’t believe they did it so much.
“They were doing some Ronaldo thing. Ronaldo does it every time he scores.
“I though they were just going to do it for like 10 minutes, they did it for two and a half hours, every point.
“I don’t know, it’s just a zoo out there.”
Kyrgios did embrace the celebration following the match, emulating it himself.
Former world number one Andy Murray was not pleased with the chant during his hitting practice and later his match with Nikoloz Basilashvili, describing it as “incredibly irritating.”
Still, Kyrgios appreciated the buzz of playing among such energy from the crowd.
“I think that’s something that I’ve kind of created on that court,” he said of his relationship with the fans while playing on John Cain Arena.
“They know what to expect. The first game against [Dominic] Thiem last year when I broke the court went into an absolute berserk state.
“I think from the get go I know I’ve got the crowd in the palm of my hand.
“[People] haven’t seen much sport, they haven’t been able to do much the last couple years.
“So, the fact that they’re out and able to see some of the best players in the world come out they’re just excited to do things again.”
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