Nick Kyrgios Speaks Out on Emma Raducanu Following ‘Unprofessional’ Remark at Cincinnati Open

Nick Kyrgios has explained why his heart goes out to Emma Raducanu amid a bizarre incident at the Cincinnati Open.

Raducanu and Aryna Sabalenka were involved in a gruelling third round clash at the Cincinnati Open on Monday.

But the Brit succumbed to the world No.1, who edged out 7-6 (7-3) 4-6 7-6 (7-5) in a gruelling contest that lasted three hours and nine minutes.

The match between Raducanu and Sabalenka will also be remembered for a frosty exchange involving the umpire.

Before serving a vital point in the third set, Raducanu was held up by a crying child in the stands.

“It’s been like 10 minutes,” she exclaimed.

READ MORE : Emma Raducanu: I Can Proud of Myself despite defeat to

The umpire replied: “It’s a child. Do you want me to kick the child out of the stadium?”

Raducanu shrugged before some fans shouted ‘yes’ on her behalf.

Naturally, the incident between Raducanu and the match official got tennis fans online talking.

People on social media sided with the 22-year-old, calling out the umpire’s ‘professionalism’.

And, judging by his previous comments, Kyrgios would also likely back Raducanu.

In a post on X responding to former professionals criticising Raducanu earlier this year, he wrote: “What’s with old retired players giving their opinion on our stars now?

“I love A-rod [Andy Roddick] and I agree we all need to chill with the rackets and all that, but geezus, I read an article about a past female player talking about Raducanu, no offence but she is a far far bigger name already.”

Kyrgios also explained why his heart goes out to her.

“My heart does go out to her,” he said on talkSPORT last June.

RELATED NEWS : Challenging Sign: Raducanu ‘getting back to best’ but

“I look at that run, I was watching it on TV, she was smiling and enjoying her tennis so much and that whole two weeks for her was an incredible journey and she then won the US Open.

“But since then, I’ve seen her kind of enjoy her tennis, but I’ve never really seen her smile and really enjoy it as she did when she won the tournament.

“Whether or not that it’s external pressure, I don’t know what’s going on, but at the end of the day, we play sport because we love it and we go out there because we want to compete and entertain people.

“I hope that she figures out what’s wrong and what’s going on there, I hope she finds the answers, but I completely understand.

Emma Raducanu: I Can Proud of Myself despite defeat to Aryna Sabalenka as world No 1 edges three-hour epic clash at Cincinnati Open

Emma Raducanu spoke of her pride at running world No 1 Aryna Sabalenka so close in their thrilling third-round clash at the Cincinnati Open.

The 22-year-old was edged out 7-6 (7-3) 4-6 7-6 (7-5) in an epic contest lasting three hours and nine minutes, a month on from also giving Sabalenka a scare at Wimbledon.

Sabalenka was victorious in straight sets on that occasion, 7-6 (8-6) 6-4, though the scoreline doesn’t tell the whole story of that third-round meeting

“She’s world No 1 for a reason,” Raducanu said following her three-set defeat in their latest meeting.

“I pushed her more than I did at Wimbledon, so that’s that’s an improvement.

“Also, it was good to have this result on a hard court because it’s very different to grass, and I’ve always thought grass suits me a lot more – and I still believe that.

READ MORE : Challenging Sign: Raducanu ‘getting back to best’ but

“So to have pushed her on a hard court like that, I’m pretty proud.”

Raducanu had her moments in the match. She won the first eight points of the contest to race into a 2-0 lead, while she did well to force Sabalenka into a first-set tiebreaker after losing the subsequent four games in a row.

Raducanu was terrific on serve in the second set, missing with only five of her 28 first serves, earning the crucial break in the seventh game and later converting her first set point with a second-serve ace.

As for the decider, Raducanu spurned a break point chance in the third game, before saving four on her own serve in the eighth, an incredible 23-minute long battle that the British No 1 would go on to claim.

But the match would ultimately go Sabalenka’s way. “I think starting the point is a big takeaway,” Raducanu added afterwards.

“I think she did that incredibly well; in the big moments, she served and returned really well.

“I did too, in certain moments of the match, but to kind of hold that level on the starting point for the the whole match, I think that’s a big thing for me.”