Bizarre moment US Open star says her Nike outfit is so badly designed she CAN’T keep playing in it – as she begs umpire to stop her match
- Tennis star Bianca Andreescu was flustered on court in her first round match
- The 2019 US Open champion begged to go off court and change her outfit
- Andreescu recovered from the ‘setback’ to win in three sets on Grandstand court
- Later publicly apologised to Nike, hopes to ‘be with them for the rest of my life’
Canadian tennis star Bianca Andreescu might have to look for a new clothes sponsor following her bizarre meltdown at the US Open on Tuesday.
The 2019 champion took three sets to beat France’s Harmony Tan at Flushing Meadows, but all the talk after her first round match was her ‘badly designed’ outfit.
The former world No.4 arrived on the Grandstand court in a navy blue skirt, but with repeated gusts of wind blowing her outfit all over the place, she pleaded with the chair umpire to let her go and change.
‘It’s not my fault, it’s Nike’s fault, this dress is so bad,’ Andreescu, 22, could be heard complaining.
‘I need to go. This is so bad.’
Canadian tennis star Bianca Andreescu might need a new clothes sponsor following her bizarre meltdown at the US Open which saw her leave the court and change out of her Nike apparel
Andreescu returned to the fray in shorts and a white top, and regained her composure to win in three sets against France’s Harmony Tan
She returned wearing shorts and a white top, and despite losing the second set, powered home to book her spot in the second round.
Andreescu later explained her patience was being severely tested.
‘It was just bothering me on some forehands. I just felt like it was kind of coming up a bit. Obviously the wind didn’t help,’ she said.
She later apologised to Nike for ‘disrespecting’ their apparel.
‘I could have definitely used a different choice of wording,’ she said.
‘So I apologise to anyone I disrespected. I love Nike and I hope I can be with them for the rest of my life.’
A sheepish Andreescu later apologised to Nike for ‘disrespecting’ the famed brand
Elsewhere, a number of seeds were sent packing on day one of action in New York.
Two-time grand slam champion and seventh seed Simona Halep was stunned by unseeded Ukrainian Daria Snigur while Greece’s Stefanos Tsitsipas was beaten by Colombian Daniel Elahi Galan in four sets.
In the all-Aussie duel, Nick Kyrgios outclassed close mate Thanasi Kokkinakis in straight sets and described the matchup as a ‘nightmare’.
‘I thought I played a really good first couple of sets, got on top of early…’When we both saw the draw it was a nightmare, honestly,’ Kyrgios said on-court after his victory.
‘We never want to play each other, and he (Kokkinakis) probably beats 80 per cent of the draw tonight, he’s been playing really good.
‘I can’t wait to get out there and play doubles with him on the right side of the net.’