Nick Kyrgios, of Australia, returns to Richard Gasquet, of France, during a first round match at the Western & Southern Open tennis tournament, Tuesday, Aug. 18, 2015, in Mason, Ohio. (AP Photo/David Kohl)
PONTE VEDRA BEACH, Fla. — Nick Kyrgios was suspended for 28 days from any ATP-sanctioned event and fined an additional $25,000 on Monday for his comments this month about Stan Wawrinka at the Rogers Cup in Montreal.
The penalties, however, are withheld provided he meets certain conditions over the next six months, ending Feb. 24, 2016. Kyrgios remains eligible for the U.S. Open, which starts next week and is not an ATP tournament.
The governing body of men’s tennis completed its review of Kyrgios’ conduct and cited him for “aggravated behavior.” On Aug. 12, a courtside microphone picked up Kyrgios saying that fellow Australian player Thanasi Kokkinakis had slept with a player who reportedly is now Wawrinka’s girlfriend.
“This incident was egregious and reflected poorly on our sport,” said Gayle David Bradshaw, executive vice president of rules and competition. “Nick has expressed regret, and the best result would be that he learns a lesson from this incident and that he understands he is responsible to the tour and to fellow players for both his actions and his words.”
The suspension and fine will be dropped provided Kyrgios does not draw any fines for verbal or physical abuse at any ATP tournament, and does not accumulate fines totaling more than $5,000 for any other offenses at ATP sanctioned tournaments.
The ATP already fined Kyrgios $10,000 on Aug. 13. In addition, he was fined $2,500 for unsportsmanlike conduct regarding a comment to a ball person during the match.