Nick Kyrgios has been a talking point in 2015 for all the wrong reasons. Despite saying he had learned his lesson with the whole Stan Wawrinka affaire, the Aussie was back at it in Shanghai again today after receiving his second code violation warning in a week in his 6-3, 6-2 win over Andread Haider-Maurer.
Kyrgios, who was ultimately suspended for 28 days from any ATP-sanctioned event and fined $25,000 dollars for his comments about Wawrinka in Montreal, is still under close surveillance from the tour, since his penalties are withheld provided he meets certain conditions over the next six months. Today he played with fire when he was once again reprimanded for an audible obscenity as he was overheard saying that the event was “a circus” and stating “I hate this place”.
The warning from chair umpire Carlos Bernardes came when Kyrgios unsuccessfully tracked down a running forehand down the line and shouted out “f**king surface”. But the world number 32 was not alone in his complaints as his opponent also received a code violation for smashing a ball out of the arena after multiple rants throughout the encounter.
Kyrgios even engaged in a conversation with close friend and fellow Aussie, Bernard Tomic, who was watching in the stands, saying, “Mate, it’s an absolute circus. Cameraman’s been talking in the middle of a point, ball kids, it’s just unbelievable, I’ve never seen anything like it”.
The ATP, who are keeping a close eye on Kyrgios, will hand him a definitive one-month ban if he receives another fine for verbal of physical misconduct, or accumulates over $5,000 in fines in the next six months on tour.
