'Won't be a ban': Former player's stunning Nick Kyrgios conspiracy theory
Former Aussie tennis player Sam Groth reckons Nick Kyrgios won’t be banned by the ATP, despite calls mounting for him to be suspended.
The ATP whacked Kyrgios with a record fine on Thursday, docking the Aussie $US113,000 ($A167,000) after his extraordinary meltdown at the Cincinnati Masters.
The fines included five charges of unsportsmanlike conduct totalling $US85,000, $US20,000 for verbal abuse, $US5,000 for audible obscenity and $US3,000 for leaving the court without permission.
The ATP also said it was continuing an investigation into whether Kyrgios should be suspended.
"The ATP is looking further into what happened during and immediately after the match to see if additional action is warranted under the Player Major Offense section of the code. That could result in an additional fine and/or suspension," the game's governing body added.
But according to Groth, that won’t happen.
While condemning Kyrgios’actions in a column for the Herald Sun, Groth said the ATP won’t ban Kyrgios because he puts bums on seats.
“There won’t be a ban coming his way – no way. The sport can’t afford to lose him,” Groth wrote.
“Tennis needs Nick a lot more than he needs tennis. Behind Roger Federer and Rafa Nadal, the Aussie is the ATP’s biggest commodity. They won’t be giving him up any time soon.”
Tennis pundit Matthew Willis also suggested it might not be in the ATP’s best interests to ban Kyrgios.
Willis said the fact a ban might see Kyrgios miss the upcoming Laver Cup - for which he is taking part in for Team World - will test the governing body’s integrity.
No response from the ATP yet.
The timing of the Laver Cup becoming an ATP event, along with a possible suspension for Kyrgios, could an interesting marker of the ATP’s integrity.
That would surely be the next ATP event Kyrgios would play after last night’s saga.— Matthew Willis (@MattRacquet) August 15, 2019
Kyrgios’ ‘disgusting’ tantrum
The 24-year-old Australian won the opening set against his Russian opponent, despite foot and ankle issues, before unleashing a profanity-laced tirade at umpire Fergus Murphy, throwing his towel over a camera and forcing broadcasters of the US event to switch to an overhead view.
Kyrgios took umbrage with Murphy, who he has previous history with, over his monitoring of the shot clock and berated the Irishman for most of the match.
He became obsessed with the issue, repeatedly calling Murphy a "potato" and labelling him a "disgrace" and the "worst ref in the world".
Murphy eventually responded by handing Kyrgios a point violation after Khachanov won the second-set tiebreaker to level the match, when the Canberran overstepped the mark by screaming out an obscenity.
Kyrgios then followed this up by asking for a toilet break. He took two racquets with him and smashed them in the players' tunnel before returning to the court.
After a double-fault handed Khachanov the match and the players shook hands, Kyrgios told Murphy "you're a f***ing tool bro" and appeared to spit in the direction of the umpire before he shunned the traditional handshake.
“We haven’t heard the end of this and from what he did at the end was truly disgusting and a big fine for Kyrgios,” one TV commentator said.
with AAP