Nick Kyrgios fined $14,000 for US Open racquet meltdown

Tennis – U.S. Open – Flushing Meadows, New York, United States – September 7, 2022 Australia’s Nick Kyrgios smashes his racket after his quarter final match against Russia’s Karen Khachanov REUTERS/Mike Segar

Nick Kyrgios was fined $14,000 on Wednesday for his spectacular double racquet smashing tantrum at the end of his US Open defeat to Karen Khachanov.

The Australian violently crushed two racquets into the surface of the Arthur Ashe Stadium after his five-set quarter-final loss on Tuesday.

It was Kyrgios’s fifth sanction of the tournament after he was earlier punished for bad language and spitting.

His fines totaled $32,500 although the sum will only cause a small dent in his total prize money of $445,000.

Wimbledon runner-up Kyrgios was seen as a potential champion in New York but his 7-5, 4-6, 7-5, 6-7 (3/7), 6-4 loss to Russia’s Khachanov left him “devastated”.

“Just feel like it was either winning it all or nothing at all, to be honest,” said Kyrgios.

“I feel like I’ve just failed at this event right now. That’s what it feels like.”