NICK KYRGIOS received a suspended 16-week ban from tennis and must see a mental professional. He was also slapped with an additional £20,000 fine following his outburst at Cincinnati which saw him commit eight offences in a second-round defeat to Karen Khachanov. Kyrgios smashed two rackets, verbally abused referee Fergus Murphy and spitted towards an […]
NICK KYRGIOS received a suspended 16-week ban from tennis and must see a mental professional.
He was also slapped with an additional £20,000 fine following his outburst at Cincinnati which saw him commit eight offences in a second-round defeat to Karen Khachanov.
Kyrgios smashed two rackets, verbally abused referee Fergus Murphy and spitted towards an official last month.
He was fined £90,000 but the conclusions of an investigation into the Australian tennis star, 24, were released by the ATP today.
The investigation “found a pattern of behaviour… in the past 12 months that constitutes a violation of the ATP Official Rulebook”.
They decided the appropriate punishment was a 16-week ban and a fine – but these are suspended.
If Kyrgios commits another offence within the next six months, the punishments will come into force.
That includes any verbal or physical abuse of officials or spectators, unsportsmanlike conduct (such as spitting) and a visible obscenity directed towards an official.
Kyrgios also has to receive support from a mental coach while competing at ATP Tour events and needs to continue to seek help from a professional specialising in behavioural management.
It is thought an immediate ban would be undermined because Kyrgios has pulled out of the rest of the Asian series with a collarbone injury.
If he adheres to the conditions until the end of the six-month probationary period, the ban and fine will be lifted.
The Aussie has five working days to lodge an appeal.
A separate investigation into Kyrgios’ comments at the US Open that the ATP is “corrupt” concluded he did not commit a Player Major Offence and will not be punished for them.
He did retract the “corrupt” statement but still insisted there were “double standards” within the organisation.
Kyrgios was in hot water throughout the summer with a series of misdemeanours.
He was fined in May for kicking a bottle, throwing his racket and launching a chair at the Italian Open.
At Queen’s a month later, he was fined for unsportsmanlike behaviour, which escalated to making an obsence gesture with a water bottle.
Then at Wimbledon he was involved in an explosive match with rival Rafael Nadal.
After going to the pub the night before, “dangerous” Kyrgios threw in underarm serves, abused the umpire and even targeted the Spaniard before losing in four sets.
