Nick Kyrgios smashed his racket to pieces and crashed out of the French Open in the second round.

The tempestuous Australian was cruising along nicely at a set and 4-2 but Kevin Anderson fought his way back and when Kyrgios double faulted to hand the South African the set, he took his frustration out on his racket, sending it flying across the clay.

Not content with that, when he sat down at the changeover he smashed the racket against a water cooler six times, leaving it a mangled mess and receiving a point penalty to start the third set.

Asked after the 5-7, 6-4, 6-1, 6-2 defeat about his penchant for destroying rackets, the 22-year-old said: ‘Obviously it’s frustration. It kind of feels good.’

But told about a video showing a young boy in the crowd watching him crush his racket, Kyrgios admitted: ‘I don’t know if that’s the best role model you want.’

🤕 Nick #Kyrgios dans ses oeuvres ! #RIPLaRaquette #RG17 pic.twitter.com/VHpyr3BnHP

— Pierre Caron (@PierreCaron31) June 1, 2017

The world No 19 has had a difficult build up to the French Open, with the death of his grandfather being followed by injury issues.

He said after the match that a combination of these issues had left him short of match sharpness coming into Roland Garros.

‘My preparation for the clay court season hasn’t been great,’ he said. ‘I feel like I’m way underdone coming into the French Open.

‘I haven’t really put together any good training in the last couple of weeks, having to manage some niggles. I don’t think I was match ready to play five sets but he played well today.

‘After my grandpa passed I just lost a lot of motivation to do anything, really.’

By Mail