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Cape Town - Australian tennis player Nick Kyrgios has been slapped with a hefty fine for his most recent outburst at the Queen's Club Championships.
The 23-year-old has been fined a total of $17 500 (£14 000) for unsportsmanlike conduct by the ATP for his behaviour, which saw him not only insult officials but also row with fans and a court-side photographer.
In his first-round win against Spaniard Roberto Carballes Baena, Kyrgios had a rant at umpire Fergus Murphy, at one point accusing a line judge of "rigging" his match.
In his second round match later in the day against Canadian Felix Auger-Aliassime, he was given another warning by umpire James Keothavong for smashing a ball out of the ground in frustration.
He was fine a total of $7 500 for his conduct in the first match and then another $10 000 for his behaviour in the second, which he lost in three sets and consequently prompted his exit from the competition.
News of the fine will not go down well with Kyrgios, who was already anticipating the punishment and lamenting the injustice of it.
Nick Kyrgios at it again at Queens yesterday ??????#tennis #kyrgios pic.twitter.com/IFwyXSn9DA
— tennis news chan 1 (@tennisnewschan1) June 21, 2019
In his post-match press conference, an unapologetic Nick Kyrgios said: "I just don't think, at this level of sport, that we should have line judges and umpires that aren't making the right decisions.
"And I know what happens. Nothing happens. They get a little slap on the wrist. I had a conversation with them in Miami after I got fined again for their mistake.
"You know, they don't get any warning or fine or anything for their mistakes. So what's the difference?
"For me doing a code violation, why can't they get fined for having a terrible day in the chair?
"Like, there's hundreds of thousands of dollars on the line. It's not a joke.
"They just think it's a joke because nothing happens to them after the match. They don't get any investigation or anything.
"I think it's ridiculous. Like, why not have another umpire ready to come in if that guy's having a terrible day? I don’t understand.
"I have to pay the fines for it. The calls are horrendous, but I get fined and he gets nothing. It's like a black star. I don’t know what happens. It's rubbish."
