Top Japanese tennis player Yoshihito Nishioka received a game penalty after melting down in frustration and smashing three balls into the crowd as commentators stated that “he has completely lost his mind.”
During his knockout match in the Cincinnati Open against Polish tennis star Hubert Hurkacz, Nishioka was seen out of touch despite winning the first set as Hurkacz started dominating the court in the following sets and sent the Japanese star in frustration.
Seeing his opponent cruising towards victory, Nishioka lost his mind and smashed a ball into the crowd before asking the ball girl for another ball and throwing that away as well.
Before hitting the balls away, Nishioka also tore his racket apart after smashing it into the ground in frustration.
After losing the first set, Hurkacz staged a comeback with his impressive performance, clinched the second set by 7-6, and took the game in the deciding set, where he was leading by 2-1 when Nishioka eventually decided to give the game away.
As the Polish star served the ball at 2-1, his Japanese opponent missed the serve and threw the ball into the crowd, which urged the chair umpire, Aurelie Tourte, to slap Nishioka with the “ball abuse” charges and the “game penalty,” taking his opponent to the round of 16.
Nishioka then walked to a seat behind the advertisement board and sat there for some time while muttering something.
Commentators were in complete disbelief as they saw the events unfolding in real-time. One of them blasted the tennis star for “self-destruction,” adding that he already knew the consequences of his actions but still preferred to walk the controversial path.
The Japanese star later reflected on his behavior and stated that he felt that everything was going in his opponent’s favor and that he started the game well, but nothing turned out for him, which triggered him to breach the laws.
He added that his performance was not poor in the tournament as he also defeated Serbia’s Miomir Kecmanović in the round of 64 and had a good start to this game as well, but luck did not side with him.
Nishioka also apologized to his fans and appreciated the backing he always receives in the United States, as he wished that luck may favor him in the upcoming US Open.
The US Open is scheduled to be played from August 26 to September 8 in New York City.
