Kyrgios: Canadian fans support their players better than Australian fans do

Nick Kyrgios suffered a brutal defeat on Monday night at the Rogers Cup, falling to 17-year-old Denis Shapovalov, 7-6 (2), 3-6, 6-3, in the first round.

After the match, the disappointed Australian didn’t hold back his frustrations. Shapovalov played the match in front of an energetic, supportive home crowd—the teenager hails from Richmond Hill, Ontario—and Kyrgios, when asked what advice he would give the up-and-comer, took a direct shot at his country’s fans.

“I think the Canadians probably support their athletes a little better than the Australians do,” the 21-year-old told reporters.

When asked to expand on that observation, Kyrgios responded, “I think it speaks for itself.”

Kyrgios, ranked 19th in the world and seeded 11th at the Masters 1000 event, looked careless and perturbed on court.  He double faulted 18 times, helping the world No. 370 capture his first career ATP win.

A natural talent, Kyrgios has been criticized in the past for a perceived lack of dedication to improving his craft.

After the match, he was clearly bothered when asked about his approach to playing a teenage wild card.

“Yeah, I'm not going to tell you what I did or didn't do to prepare for this match,” he said. “I just played pretty bad.”

Kyrgios is still in Toronto, playing doubles. On Tuesday, he and Jack Sock defeated Gilles Muller and Benoit Paire, 6-4, 6-2, in the first round.

He expects to play in the BB&T Atlanta Open next week.