Nick Kyrgios has actually gone and done it. No, we don’t mean he’s done something that befits his manifest talents, like winning a Grand Slam. Definitely not.
Instead, the Aussie tennis prodigy, and equally great drama-stirrer, has gone and got himself banned from for eight weeks from the ATP tour due to his baffling implosion at a recent Shanghai Masters match.
ATP have banned the 21-year-old ’cause he “committed the major player offense ‘Conduct Contrary to the Integrity of the Game.’” If you missed his recent blow-up against Mischa Zverev, that’s in reference to the fact he was obviously performing at minimum effort.
In addition, he’s been fined US $25,000 on top of the $15,000 penalty he landed straight afterwards.
Kyrgios has issued his own statement about the issue, in which he admits full responsibility for that weird, weird turn of events. Citing mental and physical exhaustion, Kyrgios said it’s still “no excuse, and I know very well that I need to apologise to the fans – in Shanghai and in other parts of the world – as well as the tournament organisers in Shanghai who do an amazing job.”
In the statement, Kyrgios admits this is the end of his professional year. His ban ends on January 15 next year, so he’s apparently got a hell of a New Year’s Resolution to live up to.
