Two weeks after tennis player Nick Kyrgios was fined for a meltdown at the Cincinnati Masters, the temperamental Aussie stirred up another row by calling the Association of Tennis Professionals (ATP) “corrupt”, after his first-round win at the US Open.
Infamous for his outbursts both on and off the court, Kyrgios beat American Steve Johnson 6-3 7-6(1) 6-4 sans any drama in his first-round match on Tuesday. But, during the post-match press conference, when asked whether the record $113,000 fine by the ATP—men's tennis governing body—had affected him, he said, “Not at all. The ATP is pretty corrupt anyway, so I'm not fussed about it at all.”
At the Cincinnati Masters, Kyrgios was fined for unsportsmanlike conduct, verbal abuse and audible obscenity after arguing with the chair umpire and for smashing two rackets during his second-round defeat by Russia's Karen Khachanov. He also called the umpire "rubbish", "a disgrace" and "the worst ref in the game".
"I got fined 113K for what?" he said later, during the press conference. “Why are we talking about something that happened three weeks ago when I just chopped up someone first round.”
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Kyrgios also hinted that people swear when they get frustrated. Whether the ATP will buy his argument remains to be seen, as also the fact whether his fresh outburst will attract more fine or stricter punishment.
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The Australian has had several run-ins with the officials in the past. In May, Kyrgios was expelled from the Italian Open for slamming his racket, kicking a water bottle and throwing a chair towards the centre of the court. Recently, he had branded Spanish tennis star Rafael Nadal a "sore loser". He pulled out of the 2016 Rio Olympics, citing "unfair and unjust treatment" at the hands of the Australian Olympic Committee.
Meanwhile, at the US Open, Austrian fourth seed Dominic Thiem, Greek eighth seed Stefanos Tsitsipas, Spanish 10th seed Roberto Bautista Agut, Canadian 18th seed Felix Auger-Aliassime and British 30th seed Kyle Edmund were all ousted.
The only higher-seeded players than Kyrgios who made the second round in his draw quarter are 13th-seeded Frenchman Gael Monfils and Italian 24th seed Matteo Berrettini.
Kyrgios has never gone past the third round at the US Open. His best Grand Slam results have been quarterfinal runs at the 2015 Australian Open and Wimbledon in 2014.
(With PTI inputs)
