Fraser sorry for Kyrgios remarks

SYDNEY — Australian Olympic swimming great Dawn Fraser has apologised for comments that led to Nick Kyrgios accusing her of being a “blatant racist” after she had said tennis players should “go back to where their parents came from” if they did not set a better example to Australian youth.

Kyrgios was heavily criticised back home for his on-court antics when he was beaten by Richard Gasquet at Wimbledon on Monday.

The 20-year-old, who has Greek and Malaysian-born parents, was accused of giving up, or “tanking”, in one game, received a warning for an audible obscenity and conducted a running debate with the umpire throughout the match.

Fraser, one of Australia’s best-known sporting figures since she won the 100m freestyle at three successive Olympic Games from 1956, was invited to comment on his behaviour on a popular morning TV show.

“It’s absolutely disgusting. I am so shocked to think that he went out there to play and he tanked, he did all that tanking, that’s terrible,” the 77-year-old said. “They should be setting a better example for the younger generation of this country, a great country of ours.

“If they don’t like it, go back to where their fathers or their parents came from. We don’t need them here in this country if they act like that.”

Kyrgios, the tournament’s No 26th seed, responded by linking to a video of Fraser’s comment on his Facebook page. He wrote: “Throwing a racket, brat. Debating the rules, disrespectful. Frustrated when competing, spoilt. Showing emotion, arrogant. Blatant racist, Australian legend.”

Fraser later told The Canberra Times that she is not a racist, and described Kyrgios as “bad mannered” and “a bad sport”. But last night, she issued an apology, saying her comments had been misunderstood.

“My intended message, which was not delivered as articulately as it could have been — was on a purely sporting level rather than meant as an attack on Nick’s ethnicity,” she was quoted as saying by The Guardian.

“Nick’s representing Australia and I want to see him representing Australian tennis in the best possible light. Representing your country is the highest accolade for any athlete and being selected for Australia is both a privilege and an honour.”

Kyrgios has been fined US$2,000 (S$2,713) for swearing during the match against Gasquet, but escaped a possible US$20,000 fine for appearing to give up during the match, which is in violation of Grand Slam tournament rules that state “a player shall use his best efforts to win a match”.

His Wimbledon exit came a couple of days after Bernard Tomic — he was born in Germany and his parents are from the former Yugoslavia — was dumped from Australia’s Davis Cup team for launching a tirade at Tennis Australia officials after his third-round exit at the All England Club.

Ironically, Fraser was something of an anti-authoritarian figure in her heyday. A 10-year ban for various misdemeanours during the 1964 Tokyo Games, including taking a flag from outside the Japanese Emperor’s palace, scuppered her hopes of winning a fourth straight Olympic title in Mexico in 1968. AGENCIES