Australian tennis star Nick Kyrgios and his no good, very bad week

 By 
Ariel Bogle
 on 
Original image replaced with Mashable logo
Original image has been replaced. Credit: Mashable

Nick Kyrgios has beaten Rafael Nadal and Roger Federer. He's also ground zero for the tennis critic's hot take, having been called a "superbrat," "arrogant" and "spoilt" and "a bit of a tool," and that's just in the past week.

He is one of Australia's greatest young tennis hopes, but the 20-year-old's 2015 Wimbledon campaign has to be one of the most bizarre in recent history. From accusations of Kyrgios throwing games to Australian swimming legend Dawn Fraser dropping racist remarks, at least no one can say it's been boring.

Here are just some of the things Kyrgios has been up to lately.

His fans have been smearing Vegemite on their faces, and he likes it

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Fans of Kyrgios have been smearing Vegemite and Nutella on their faces in apparent support of the tennis player at Wimbledon.

It all started when Mitchell McConachy wrote on Kyrgios's Facebook page that he'd cover his face in the black yeast spread if the sportsman replied to his message, SBS reported.

While Kyrgios seemed into the stunt, calling it "weird and wonderful" on Facebook, others have questioned its racist undertones given the similarity of the look to blackface.

@MarioLe0 have you seen that fans of Kyrgios are covering their face with vegemite and basically going blackface? What a time to be alive.— Dave (@Mesut_Ausil) July 6, 2015

He was accused of throwing his final game at Wimbledon

Facing a booing crowd, Kyrgios appeared to be deliberately giving up points in a match Monday against France's Richard Gasquet -- the loss of which knocked him out of Wimbledon.

The tennis star denied he was deliberately tanking the game. "Of course I tried," he said at a post-match media conference. "There was a lot of ups and downs. It was a tough, tough time, especially when [Gasquet's] not missing any balls."

He fought with the umpires, most recently about changing his socks

Kyrgios's tiffs with umpires at the tennis tournament this year have become infamous. His code violations include "audible obscenities" and bouncing his racket violently into the crowd, according to the Guardian.

In this clip, he gets into a heated discussion with a line judge about changing his socks mid-set.

An Australian swimming icon took a turn for the racist when asked to comment on Kyrgios

Australian morning television program, the Today Show, made the regrettable decision to call up former Olympic swimmer Dawn Fraser to get her take on Kyrgios's antics.

She delivered in the worst way: "If they don’t like it, go back to where their fathers or their parents came from," she said about Kyrgios, who has Greek and Malaysian heritage. "We don’t need them here in this country if they act like that."

Kyrgios hit back at Fraser on Facebook calling her a "blatant racist," while the swimmer also faced a significant backlash from the Australian public on social media.

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As a Greek-Aussie, I am personally repulsed by the comments made by Miss Fraser, but on the other hand, IGAF what she thinks. #DawnFraser— Andy Pan (@Rewster7) July 7, 2015

Sometimes, you just need a hug

Kyrgios took some time out during Monday's contentious match to hug a ball boy.

"I just felt like a hug, I guess," Kyrgios said at a post match news conference. "Everyone now and then wants a hug."

Kyrgios hugging the ballboy. And the ballboy's reaction is just PERFECT. pic.twitter.com/taPEwvrOrR— René Denfeld (@Renestance) July 6, 2015

He got in trouble for climbing a fence to watch Lleyton Hewitt play

Clad in blue with bright pink headphones, Kyrgios climbed a fence at Wimbledon to watch Australia's Lleyton Hewitt and Thanasi Kokkinakis play in a doubles match.

Despite being ordered off the railing, he simply waited until the steward had left and climbed right back up, according to the Telegraph.

Nick Kyrgios climbing on a railing to watch Hewitt and Kokkinakis in the doubles. pic.twitter.com/kJTPvVvTqj— Jonathan Liew (@jonathanliew) July 2, 2015

Apparently, he'd just rather be playing basketball

Kyrgios said in June that tennis isn't really his first choice.

"I don’t really like the sport of tennis that much. I don’t love it," he told the Independent. "It was crazy when I was 14. I was all for basketball and I made the decision to play tennis. I got pushed by my parents and to this day I can still say I don’t love the sport."

Maybe that basketball career is still a possibility?

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