Nick Kyrgios has yet again found himself in hot water after his outburst at the Miami Open.
The Australian player has been handed multiple fines by the ATP, totalling AU$47,000, following his row with umpire Carlos Bernardes.
He was handed four separate penalties, an AU$27,000 fine for verbal abuse, AU$7,000 for obscenity, and two fines for unsportsmanlike conduct, with each offence costing the Aussie AU$6,600.
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Kyrgios was in the midst of a losing match against Jannik Sinner when umpire Carlos Bernardes’ walky-talky went off.
Towards the end of his first set, Kyrgios shouted: “Unbelievable! Miami – one of the biggest tournaments – and you guys can’t do your jobs. It’s embarrassing!”
He then smashed his racket to the ground and was deducted a point for ‘unsportsmanlike’ conduct, which he was not happy about.
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He shouted at Bernardes: "I didn't even say anything to you,” before repeatedly asking: “What’s unsportsmanlike? What is unsportsmanlike?”
Kyrgios spoke of the incident after his straight-sets defeat and repeated his criticisms against Bernardes.
He said: “The crowd actually hated him (Bernardes) that much they told him to be quiet.”
Kyrgios also didn’t let up on the ATP, saying: “The ATP won’t do anything about him. He will just show up at the next event and everyone just forgets how bad that was.
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“Me, my girlfriend, my team all have to deal with the bad comments and the ATP don’t give a (damn).”
This is the second outburst that has cost him a serious amount of money in the space of a month.
He was fined AU$33,000 at the Indian Wells tournament for racket abuse and audible obscenity. That match was also officiated by Bernardes.
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Kyrgios has also questioned his previous fines, recently saying: “[Denis] Shapovalov nailed a ball in someone's eyeball and got $5,000. I threw a racket, didn't even hit anyone, and got $25,000.
"Where is balance? How much do I bring the sport? That's the problem with tennis. We don't protect our stars. We love to outcast them.
"ATP never defends its players, stands up for them. I've been used to it my whole career. It sucks."
Despite his fines, some believe a suspension from the game would be more in line.
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New York Times tennis correspondent, Christopher Clarey tweeted: “Have to think Kyrgios is risking major-offense investigation at this point based on pattern of misbehavior. Could lead to suspension by ATP.”
Topics: Nick Kyrgios, Tennis, Australia
Jayden Collins