By Ben Church, CNN
Nick Kyrgios was left frustrated by the smell of marijuana coming from the stands in his second round win at the US Open on Wednesday.
The Australian, who battled past France’s Benjamin Bonzi 7-6 (7-3) 6-4 4-6 6-4, was his vocal self during the match, including when he complained to the chair umpire about the smell emanating from the stands of the Louis Armstrong Arena.
“People don’t know that I’m a heavy asthmatic so when I’m running side to side and struggling to breathe already, it’s probably not something I want to be breathing in between points,” he told reporters after the match.
The umpire reminded fans to refrain from smoking around the court as play got back underway.
The US Open crowd is known for being boisterous and the 27-year-old agreed that the grand slam has a very different “vibe” to other tournaments.
CNN has reached out to the US Open regarding Kyrgios’ complaints of a marijuana smell.
It comes just over a week after the woman Kyrgios accused of having “700 drinks” and being “drunk out of her mind” during this year’s Wimbledon final said she is suing the Australian tennis player for defamation.
Kyrgios was typically animated on court in New York, muttering to himself and berating his box between points.
He was given a warning by the umpire for swearing at someone in his team for not supporting him enough.
While his on-court antics were in full flow, so was his tennis.
Kyrgios was tested by his talented opponent but demonstrated the devastating power and new mental fortitude that saw him reach his first grand slam final at Wimbledon in July.
He faces American J.J. Wolf in the next round but says his own good form is putting more pressure on him than normal.
“It’s so stressful now because every match I play, I’m kind of expecting to play so good,” Kyrgios told reporters.
“Such a clean performance is not realistic in a sport like this where you’re playing day in, day out. I probably have to lower the expectation of playing like it’s a Wimbledon final every time. There are so many capable players who can play.”
The-CNN-Wire
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