Tennis pro Nick Kyrgios apologises after deliberate Shanghai fail

We get it. Australian pro Nick Kyrgios is a naughty boy who throws tantrums and who may or may not smoke weed. But calling him a "total disgrace" probably isn't going to make him behave the way you'd like.

Kyrgios is a sensitive, volatile young man. Yes, he deliberately and spectacularly tanked his match against Germany's Misha Zverev at the Shanghai Masters Wednesday.

But let's be honest -- he looks a person on the edge of exhaustion. He's not exactly famous for his zen-like nature and he did apologise over Twitter.

After a listless serve during the game, the umpire told Kyrgios "You can't play like that, OK? That's not professional ... this is a professional tournament, we have to act professional and play with your best effort the whole time."

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He then received a code violation after swearing at the crowd, telling one spectator to "go home" after they yelled out "respect the game, respect the people" at the athlete.

After the match, the 21-year-old told gathered reporters that he didn't owe those in the crowd anything. "It's my choice. If you don't like it, I didn't ask you to come watch. Just leave," he said.

"You want to buy a ticket? Come watch me. You know I'm unpredictable. It's your choice. I don't owe you anything. Doesn't affect how I sleep at night."

He explained his behaviour by saying he was "physically and mentally tired" after playing "a lot of matches in a row."

Not the greatest excuse, but this sounds like burn-out. Maybe it warrants some empathy?

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This is a guy who's also been sledged within an inch of his life in the press. A guy who loves basketball, but who plays tennis instead because he says his parents forced him into it. We'd be angry too.

Maybe take it easy on the kid. It's Mental Health Week after all.