For the second tournament running, Australian Nick Kyrgios has been handed a heavy fine by the ATP.
Kyrgios lost his cool during his round of 16 singles loss against Jannik Sinner earlier this week at the Miami Open and repeatedly berated the chair umpire.
As a result of his outbursts, the ATP have found him guilty of four offences they deem worthy of fines.
All up, Kyrgios has copped a US$35,000 penalty for verbal abuse ($20,000), audible obscenity ($5,000), and two instances of unsportsmanlike conduct ($5,000 for each offence).
Those fines come on the back of a $25,000 fine he was handed at Indian Wells earlier this month.
Speaking after his quarter-final doubles victory with Thanasi Kokkinakis in Miami, Kyrgios admitted he was expecting another big fine as he questioned his previous punishments.
"(Denis) Shapovalov nailed a ball in someone's eyeball and got $5,000. I threw a racket, didn't even hit anyone, and got $25,000," Kyrgios said.
"Where is balance? How much do I bring the sport? That's the problem with tennis. We don't protect our stars. We love to outcast them.
"ATP never defends its players, stands up for them. I've been used to it my whole career. It sucks."
While Kyrgios will be unhappy with these latest fines, some believe a suspension would prove a better deterrent considering he is a repeat offender.
Nick Kyrgios an ATM for the ATP
— Christopher Clarey 🇺🇸 🇫🇷 🇪🇸 (@christophclarey) March 31, 2022
$25,000 in fines in Indian Wells
$35,000 more at Miami Open
But fines are not the real deterrent. Have to think Kyrgios is risking major-offense investigation at this point based on pattern of misbehavior. Could lead to suspension by ATP#getty pic.twitter.com/7LwWim5dFo
It isn't enough and quite frankly makes ATP Tour look bad. Nick Kyrgios and Alexander Zverev deserve at least a three month suspensions from tennis. These guys are millionaires the fines have no substance.
— OrvilleLloydDouglas🇨🇦🏳️🌈 (@OrvilleLloyd) March 31, 2022
How exactly will this help? Giving pocket change fines is bound to be an ineffective deterrent - as has been proven by Kyrgios himself.
— Musab (@Musab_Abid) March 31, 2022
This is not even a slap on the wrist. More like a pat on the back, given that it is always accompanied by relentless promotion on TennisTV. https://t.co/IzqZgRAuTn
Kyrgios' singles run to the Miami Open round of 16 pocketed him $94,575 alone, with his current doubles run set to add at least a further $60,000 in prize money.
