NICK KYRGIOS will miss the rest of the season after being suspended by the men’s tour and fined an additional US$25,000 Monday for “tanking” a match and insulting fans in the mercurial Australian’s latest run-in with tennis authorities.
The ATP said Kyrgios was sanctioned for “conduct contrary to the integrity of the game” following an investigation into his behavior during a second-round loss to German qualifier Mischa Zverev last week at the Shanghai Masters.
Kyrgios gave little effort during the 6-3, 6-1 defeat, even patting easy serves over the net and turning away before his opponent’s serve had crossed the net.
The 21-year-old Australian had already been fined a total of US$16,500 for failing to give a full effort, unsportsmanlike conduct and verbal abuse of a spectator. The ATP said Monday that, in addition to the extra US$25,000 fine, Kyrgios was handed an eight-week suspension lasting through Jan. 15 — a day before the start of the Australian Open, the year’s first Grand Slam tournament.
However, the tour said the suspension will be reduced to three weeks if Kyrgios agrees to enter “a plan of care under the direction of a sports psychologist or an equivalent plan approved by the ATP.” That means he would be eligible to return Nov. 7.
There are no regular tournaments on the schedule after Nov. 7. The only event in November is the ATP finals in London from Nov. 13-20. The 12th-ranked Kyrgios has not qualified for the eight-player finals, so he will have to wait until next year in any case to return to the tour.
Kyrgios issued a statement Monday offering another apology for his conduct in Shanghai and saying he will be back in 2017. He did not say whether he would enter the treatment program mandated by the ATP.
“I regret that my year is ending this way and that I will not have a chance to continue chasing the ATP finals,” Kyrgios said. “This was an important goal for me. I do understand and respect the decision by the ATP and I will use this time off to improve on and off the court.”
(SD-Agencies)
|
