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Nick Kyrgios is a talented tennis player but sadly he has made the headlines more for his bad behaviour than for his accomplishments on the court.
He is disliked by a number of his peers as well as even some of his home fans in Australia.
After being meted a record $113,000 fine for an outburst in Cincinnati earlier this month, Kyrgios has responded by calling the Association of Tennis Professionals (ATP), which is the governing body for tennis pros “corrupt”.
After winning his first round at Flushing Meadows, the rabble-rouser told the media he was unfazed by the penalty given the fact it was issued by a corrupt organisation like the ATP.
This is not the first instance of Kyrgios losing his cool at the US Open, last year an umpire had to give him a little pep talk, which got both in trouble.
That is a pretty serious allegation to make and it will be interesting to see if the ATP will suspend him for his remarks and sideline him for the rest of the season.
Kyrgios was allowed by US Open officials to play the last grand slam of the year, despite ongoing discussions on whether the Cincinnati breakdown also warranted a suspension.
What Happened At The Cincinnati Masters?
After a devastating second-round loss to Karen Khachanov in the Cincinnati Masters, Kyrgios hurled verbal abuse at the overseeing umpire who was Fergus Murphy, a member of the elite “gold badge” group of umpires since 2000. Kyrgios was hit with a hefty fine for a number of violations including ball abuse, audible obscenity, and verbal abuse.
The world No. 30 is no stranger to run-ins with game officials. During the Cincinnati confrontation, Kyrgios called Murphy “the worst f***ing referee ever” and chided the official for always doing dumb stuff when Kyrgios took the court.
In the second set, after receiving a point penalty, Kyrgios walked off-court to smash two rackets before walking back onto the grass. After the match, he refused to shake Murphy’s hand, instead calling the game official “a f***ing tool” and spitting in his direction.
Nine News Australia
More Than $250,000 In Fines
Kyrgios’ career total penalties have now surpassed the $250,000 mark, with the ATP still looking into the Cincinnati incident to see if there were any more violations that may warrant further fines or stand as grounds for immediate suspension.
The record $113,000 fine accounts for nearly 10 percent of Kyrgios’ earnings in 2019. The firebrand Aussie player has done reasonably well this year winning the Acapulco International in March and the Citi Open in Washington in early August.
The record for highest penalty issued by the ATP is still held by Italian Fabio Fognini who was fined $120,000 for calling a female umpire a “whore” at the 2017 US Open. Fognini was also $3,000 during the 2019 Wimbledon for wishing a bomb would explode after a three-set loss to Tennys Sandgren.
