Roger Federer's frosty response to Nick Kyrgios scandal
Roger Federer has refused to weigh in on Nick Kyrgios’ latest scandal after the Aussie was handed a record fine at the Cincinnati Masters.
Kyrgios has been hit with a $US113,000 ($A167,000) sanction and also faces a possible suspension for verbally abusing and spitting towards the chair umpire during his second-round defeat to Karen Khachanov on Wednesday.
‘CRAZY’: Ash Barty puts Nick Kyrgios to shame after 'disgusting' act
It marks the biggest fine ever recorded since the ATP was introduced in 1990.
Federer, who has come to the defence of Kyrgios after indiscretions in the past, was in no mood to address the Aussie’s actions on Thursday.
After a shock loss to Andrey Rublev in the third round, Federer was asked what he thought about Kyrgios.
“Yeah I watched it,” Federer said, before refusing to comment further.
“I’m not going to comment on it because I’m just not really in the mood.”
Kyrgios’ fines include 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 said they are further investigating whether a suspension is warranted.
"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 said.
Federer suffers shock 16-year first
A fearless Andrey Rublev outfoxed Roger Federer 6-3 6-4 in the third round of the Cincinnati Masters on Thursday.
The Russian qualifier broke the third-seeded Swiss in his first two service games and won 81 per cent of his first serve points to wrap up the upset in just over an hour.
The 21-year-old shed tears of joy after pulling off the biggest win of his career.
"It is such an amazing feeling when you're playing a legend like Roger and all these people supporting him until the end," he told ESPN in an on-court interview.
"One day I hope I'm going to feel the same.
"Today I was just trying to do my best and was thinking in my head that I need to play every point until the end no matter what."
The win sets up an all Russian quarter-final with ninth seed Daniil Medvedev.
Federer has won the tournament more than anyone, using it as a springboard to the US Open.
He had 16 unforced errors against the 70th-ranked Rublev, who raised both fists and wiped a teary eye in celebration after Federer's forehand sailed long to end it.
Struggling with his serve, Federer got broken twice in the first set.
"And there you have it. It set the tone for the match a little bit," Federer said. "He was super clean - offense, defense, serving well. He didn't give me anything."
But Federer, who lost a classic five-set match for the Wimbledon title to Novak Djokovic, still thinks he's in good shape heading into the US Open despite the upset in Cincinnati.
with AAP
