Nick Kyrgios had a lot of ups and downs as a tennis player during the year. Kyrgios had a rather heated Wimbledon match with world no. 2 Rafael Nadal, where the Australian player was blasted for aiming a ball at the latter. He also had an angry outburst during the Cincinnati Masters, which saw him smashing rackets and clashing with umpire Fergus Murphy. But perhaps most controversially, he also called the ATP “corrupt.” These actions caused outrage among tennis fans and even players, with some calling for an outright ban.
ATP concludes investigation into Nick Kyrgios’ misbehavior
After an exhaustive investigation into his behavior during the Cincinnati Masters, the ATP has announced that they found Kyrgios to have violated the Player Major Offense provision in the tennis governing body’s code. Because of the result of the investigation, he will go under a six-month probationary period. If he violates another major rule in the ATP Code, the top-ranking male Australian player will get the penalty of $25,000 and suspension for 16 ATP weeks.
The ATP imposed strict criteria into Australian’s probation. One of the conditions was for him to see a behavioral management specialist during the off-season. Kyrgios is given five days to appeal to the ATP’s suspended ban. He, however, has not issued any statement on whether he has plans to do so.
The ATP also previously launched an inquiry into Nick’s comments about the ATP. Since the Australian player clarified his comments the day after he made it, the ATP decided that the comments did not constitute another major offense. The body will also not apply penalties.
Kyrgios to be on his ‘best behavior’ during the break
After receiving an update regarding the investigation done on his behavior, Kyrgios told his fans that he will be on his “best behavior” during the next six months. The player said this through an Instagram post, where he also added the hashtag #detention.
When a follower entered a comment on his post saying that he should have been banned for life, world No. 27 disagreed. He said that he will speak out whenever he wants.
Kyrgios gets a shoulder injury
In a way, the Australian player is a bit “lucky” with the timing of his suspension. He is suffering from an injury in the collarbone and shoulder area, which made him unsure if he can still play for the rest of the tennis season. In a way, this was considered as another trick from the ATP to “save” the player and also its face.
The shoulder injury is the reason why he had to withdraw during the third day of the Laver Cup. While it was his target to be ready by the time the Davis Cup rolls around, he also said that he would not mind it if he would be given more time to rest.
Nick Kyrgios’s ranking and performance in 2019
Ranked no.27, Nick played his last match on the 25th of September when he lost to Andreas Seppi 7-65 6-1 in the 1st round in Zhuhai.
This year the Australian has a 21-14 win-loss record. Kyrgios conquered 2 titles in 2019 in Acapulco and in Washington.
Nick Kyrgios |
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