Nick Kyrgios has slammed Alexander Bublik for his alleged ableist slur during the latter's US Open first-round match against Dominic Thiem.

Twenty-fifth seed Bublik was defeated by 2020 US Open champion Thiem in the opening round of the New York major, with the Austrian player winning the match 6-3, 6-2, 6-4.

This is a strong start for the 29-year-old, who has been dealing with injuries that have prevented him from getting back to the form that saw him lift the trophy at Flushing Meadows three years ago.

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Kyrgios condemns Bublik

During the match, Bublik, who is known for his on-court rants in his native language, is alleged to have said in Russian "I am f***ing sick of giving careers back to disabled people."

The Kazakhstani player has faced a lot of backlash for these words from fans and players alike. Among them was 2022 Wimbledon runner-up Kyrgios, who has often been criticized for his own language and behavior on-court in the past.

"This is low key horrible," the Australian wrote on X, formerly known as Twitter.

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Many fans agreed with Kyrgios, with one writing of Bublik:

"Not getting himself any new fans."

Meanwhile, another added that while Bublik has said some bad things during matches before, this was one step too far.

"Bublik says s**ty things practically every other match. This is disgusting even by his standards though," they commented.

Thiem was asked about the alleged slur after the match, to which he replied that it was a 'tough' thing to say but that it is possible Bublik's words were mistranslated into English.

"I don’t know if the translation is right, you know. If it is, then it’s a tough saying. Something you shouldn’t say in general just out of respect. But maybe he didn’t mean it that way or whatever. But what can I say about it," he said.