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FEVER-TREE CHAMPIONSHIP

June 20, 2019

Nick Kyrgios

London, England

F. AUGER-ALIASSIME/N. Kyrgios

6-7, 7-6, 7-5

THE MODERATOR: Questions, please.

Q. It's been a pretty eventful day, both of your matches. Do you want to sum up the day in your words?
NICK KYRGIOS: It was tiring. You know, I thought I played a pretty good match this morning against Kyles. He was a lot better than I thought he was going to be. He felt pretty comfortable on the grass.

Actually toughed out a pretty tough tiebreak. Didn't have many chances. Obviously that match against Felix then was tough, was exhausting. Yeah, I mean, I'm just tired. I thought I gave everything today.

Q. Would you attribute your tiredness to staying up till 3:00 a.m. playing Fifa?
NICK KYRGIOS: No, no. I didn't link that towards my tiredness at all, did I?

Q. No, I was just...
NICK KYRGIOS: Yeah, I didn't say I was tired from it, did I?

Q. No, I was just asking if it was part of it.
NICK KYRGIOS: No. That's what happens when you play a couple matches that go for a couple hours. You tend to be tired.

Have you played a match before?

Q. Yeah.
NICK KYRGIOS: Were you fresh after it, were you?

Q. Not overly.
NICK KYRGIOS: Okay. Good question. Very good question.

Q. You have to be happy with particularly the first match?
NICK KYRGIOS: Yeah. I thought the calls were pretty ordinary all day, to be honest. That's what you get when you play on an outside-court without Hawk-Eye.

I knew some of the calls weren't going to be great. I thought some of the calls were outrageous today. It shouldn't have to come down to me and Felix giving each other points. He gave me a point at a pretty crucial time, and I gave him a point at a pretty crucial time.

I just don't think, at this level of sport, that we should have line judges and umpires that aren't making the right decisions. And I know what happens. Nothing happens. They get a little slap on the wrist. I had a conversation with them in Miami after I got fined again for their mistake.

You know, they don't get any warning or fine or anything for their mistakes. So what's the difference? For me doing a code violation, why can't they get fined for having a terrible day in the chair? Like, there's hundreds of thousands of dollars on the line. It's not a joke. They just think it's a joke because nothing happens to them after the match. They don't get any investigation or anything.

I think it's ridiculous. Like, why not have another umpire ready to come in if that guy's have a terrible day? I don't understand. I have to pay the fines for it. The calls are horrendous, but I get fined and he gets nothing. It's like a black star. I don't know what happens. It's rubbish.

Q. Would you like to see maybe the end of line judges like they do in the NextGen Finals?
NICK KYRGIOS: I don't care, man. I just want a fair game. Felix hits a ball inside the line and it gets called out? I will let him have that point, because that's the rules of tennis. If people are just doing their job correctly, we wouldn't have these problems. Simple as that.

I don't care if it's line judges or not line judges. As long as the game is played by the rules, that's fine. I don't have a problem with it. It just shouldn't have to come down to the players giving each other points. We are playing at the highest level, Dude. He's walking, like, saying that's in. We're doing that at Futures level, Bro. Like, what's going on?

Q. You said a line judge, you accused him of rigging the game. Do you still believe that now?
NICK KYRGIOS: I didn't mean in that context. I meant in the context he knows I'm going to retaliate. Like, all the referees know that. They talk about it, for sure. They know I'm never going to be the type of guy that's going to get a bad call and not let them hear about it.

I just don't think they get punished enough, like sanctioned enough if they make a bad decision. And he knows without him, without him calling that ball, he knows I'm going to go nuts. He knows that deep down if he doesn't overrule that ball. Like, Dude, the guy served an 80-miles-an-hour serve that was, like, a foot long, and he doesn't call it. If you're not sitting in the chair and not calling it, you're not doing your job correctly. Again, people in the crowd have no reason to lie. All said it was out. I don't understand it.

Q. I understand the whole issue between players and officials, but between players and spectators, when you swear at spectators at the end of the game, is that something you're happy with afterwards?
NICK KYRGIOS: Let me put it like this. So say you're playing for 2.5 hours. How long did I play today? 3.5 hours?

I'm on court. They're all watching me. Unbelievable. They saw me fall. Do you think they saw me fall? I was on the ground for how long? Two minutes? You have people booing at you and saying, calling you names. What would you do?

Would you be all right with that? I'm playing my heart out, and I've got to deal with idiot umpires and idiots in the crowd. What do you want from me, Dude?

Q. Is it okay to swear at them?
NICK KYRGIOS: I don't care. Some of the stuff they say to me, is that okay? Like, they paid a ticket to see me play for, like, 3.5 hours. Of course I'm going to go back at them. I'm not the type of guy that's going to walk away from that.

If you are, that's too good. Like, unbelievable discipline. I'm not saying it's right, but that's just how I am.

Q. (Question about competition last year.)
NICK KYRGIOS: Was I? What did I do?

Q. (Indiscernible.)
NICK KYRGIOS: What did I do? Can you do it?

Q. I'm not going to do it. Are you worried...
NICK KYRGIOS: What did I do?

Q. Your comments towards the officials?
NICK KYRGIOS: Like what?

Q. Just with the rigging comments?
NICK KYRGIOS: I don't care, Man. If you're gonna fine me for that, that's fine.

Q. A couple of days ago Novak said he'd offered to kind of support you in the future. You could go to him if you ever had a problem. Would you consider talking to someone like that?
NICK KYRGIOS: Why would I?

Q. Just to get some kind of advice.
NICK KYRGIOS: What's he gonna tell me?

Q. I don't know. He said he had a lot of problems when he was younger, struggling coming up, suffering.
NICK KYRGIOS: Okay.

Q. Does that interest you at all?
NICK KYRGIOS: What would he tell me?

Q. I don't know.
NICK KYRGIOS: What do you think he would tell me that I would go there for advice? What would he tell me?

Q. I don't know.
NICK KYRGIOS: I don't understand with you guys. Like, Dude, have you not seen Novak with ball boys and smack balls at people? Do you not see that?

Q. No, I do.
NICK KYRGIOS: How come it doesn't blow up the same when I do it? Why doesn't it?

Q. I think it does sometimes.
NICK KYRGIOS: Does it? Really?

Q. Sometimes.
NICK KYRGIOS: Okay. If you're being honest, which I know you're not, then we can have this conversation another time.

FastScripts Transcript by ASAP Sports

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