Kyrgios fined $43k for walk-off
Nick Kyrgios has been fined $43,820 by the ATP after walking off the court during his opening match at the Shanghai Masters.
The 13th-seed packed his bag and left the court after losing the first set 7-6 (7-5) to Steve Johnson on Tuesday.
He was booed from the court by the crowd.
Kyrgios was fined his firstround prize money of $29,700, for failing to see the doctor following his retirement. According to ATP Tour rules, it is mandatory to be examined by a physician if injured. He was fined an additional $14,120 for unsportsmanlike conduct.
Hours after he abandoned the match, Kyrgios offered an apology on Twitter and said he had a stomach ache and sore shoulder.
‘‘I’ve been battling a stomach bug for the past 24 hours and I tried to be ready but I was really struggling on the court, which I think was pretty evident from the first point,’’ Kyrgios said. ‘‘ My shoulder started to hurt in the practice and once I lost the first set I was just not strong enough to continue.’’
This was despite television footage and audio capturing him telling his courtside box he’d quit if he lost the first set in an apparent protest over the decisions of chair umpire Fergus Murphy.
Kyrgios received a warning during the 12th game of the first set after hitting two balls in anger. During the tiebreaker, he was docked a point for inappropriate language.
The dramatic walk-off came after the volatile star was suspended from the ATP Tour for tanking at the same tournament in China 12 months ago.
He was fined $22,000 and banned for eight weeks for deliberately throwing a game during his second-round defeat by Mischa Zverev in Shanghai.
The ban was reduced to three weeks after he agreed to a ‘‘care plan’’ under the direction of a sports psychologist.