(CNN)The best and worst of Nick Kyrgios was seen in Indian Wells on Thursday as the hugely talented but frustrating Australian lost to Rafael Nadal in three sets in a thrilling quarter-final match.
Kyrgios gave the Spaniard his toughest test of the tournament yet, but Nadal eventually prevailed, winning 7-6 (0) 5-7 6-4 to start a semi-final match with rising Spanish star Carlos Alcaraz.
However, Kyrgios smashed his racquet in frustration after the loss and an unfortunate bounce meant he almost hit a ball boy who managed to dodge in time.
The incident led to the crowd booing the 26-year-old, who earlier got into a back-and-forth during the game with a heckling fan.
“I just want to apologize to this ball kid at the end of the game,” Kyrgios wrote on Instagram. “It was a complete accident and I was frustrated at the end of the game.
“My racquet made a crazy bounce and was never my intention. If anyone knows who this ball kid is send me a message and I will send them a bat. I’m glad he’s doing well!”
Kyrgios was able to get in touch with the ball boy, who accepted the apology and the offer of a racquet, posting their exchange on social media.
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During one of his service games, Kyrgios hilariously brought viewer Ben Stiller into an exchange he was having with a fan.
“Are you playing? Are you good at tennis?” Kyrgios asked the man in the crowd behind him. “Exactly, why are you talking?”
He then pointed to Stiller and said, “Do I tell him how to act? No!” which drew laughter from the stands.
After the game, Nadal told reporters he didn’t see the racquet incident but said “ATP should review things and make decisions” if these incidents continue to happen.
Last week Nadal called for tougher penalties for players after Alexander Zverev was handed just an eight-week ban for his irritable outburst in Acapulco, Mexico last month.
Zverev smashed his racquet several times near the referee’s feet after his double loss and called the referee a “fucking idiot” during the game.
“I like him [Kyrgios] like a character, but of course when you cross some boundaries, things become different,” Nadal told reporters after the game. “The problem is the same, I think. When you allow players to do things, you don’t know when the line is.
“It’s a tricky thing, but probably because these situations are happening more and more often, the ATP should probably review things and make decisions. Not about today’s game because I didn’t see what happened, so I can’t have an opinion .
“I hope nothing bad happened because I wish it for him [Kyrgios] the best … but when it is bad, the ATP must make decisions to avoid and stop it, because sometimes, even if it is very unfortunate or unfortunate, happens at the very moment that something negative is happening.
Next up for Nadal is 18-year-old Spanish sensation Alcaraz, who defeated defending champion Cameron Norrie in straight sets.
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