
Wimbledon: Kyrgios hits out at 'rowdy' crowd after prevailing in three-hour thriller with Jubb
Nick Kyrgios hit out at a "rowdy" Wimbledon crowd after coming through a five-set thriller with Brit Paul Jubb in the first round.
The Australian was forced to come from behind to avoid a surprise exit, ultimately prevailing 3-6 6-1 7-5 6-7 (3-7) 7-5 on No.3 Court on Tuesday.
In a typically tempestuous performance, the world number 40 was frustrated by certain members of a partisan home crowd.
Kyrgios also accused a line judge of being a "snitch" as he aimed his grievances at the chair umpire, also calling for vocal spectators to be ejected.
The 27-year-old let his feelings be known after wrapping up his victory in just over three hours and paid tribute to his opponent.
"It was tough, he's a local wildcard, had nothing to lose and he played exceptional tennis at times," he stated. "He's going to be a good player for sure, I'm just happy to get through.
"The crowd was pretty rowdy. A couple of people were not shy in criticising me so that one is for you, you know who you are.
"Playing here is a lot of fun, Wimbledon over the last couple of years has been strange. We had bubbles last year and no ranking points this year, but it's special.
"It would've been a tough loss to take and I'm happy to get through. I just talk a lot on the court but off the court I'm not too bad."
Some huge winners@NickKyrgios wins a 5-set thriller against Paul Jubb #Wimbledon pic.twitter.com/TsRSznSBrW
— Wimbledon (@Wimbledon) June 28, 2022
Kyrgios will face either Serbia's Filip Krajinovic or the Czech Republic's Jiri Lehecka in the second round on Thursday.