Nick Kyrgios has slammed umpire Carlos Bernardes over a remarkable umpire error that he made at the
Shanghai Masters which proved costly for Stan Wawrinka.
Kyrgios has had a long running feud with said umpire and said that Bernardes should not have been allowed to continue as an umpire for a long time with their infamous run-in happening at the 2022 Miami Open.
Wawrinka was facing off against Flavio Cobolli at the Shanghai Masters on Monday October 7. He won the first set of the second round clash but lost the second taking the match to a decider.
The Italian served first in the decider and won the opening game. He then went on to break Wawrinka's serve in the second game. The first and only break but this had a lot to do with poor officiating.
The first point should have gone to the Swiss ace after the Italian hit a wide return. Bernardes called the score correctly but then awarded it to Cobolli. Neither the players nor anyone in the crowd noticed it. However those watching at home were quick to point this out including Kyrgios who saw it brought to light and hit out at the umpire.
"BERNARDES SHOILD OF [sic] BEEN FIRED YEARS AGO. HOW DOES THIS HAPPEN. Potato," Nick Kyrgios wrote.
His personal history with Bernardes stems from a fourth round loss to Jannik Sinner in which the umpire gave the Aussie a point penalty at a crucial time in a first set tie-break. It stemmed from Kyrgios talking to a member of the team. Sinner won and Kyrgios lost the plot smashing his racquet. He was later penalised again with a game penalty.
But it brings up the point of line calling and decision making done by humans with more errors creeping in for the umpire in this case. Something which has continually been a problem on the tour.