“Was that really worth $35,000” Patrick Mouratoglou questions ATP on Nick Kyrgios’ massive fine, compares previous incidents with lower fines of other players


“Was that really worth $35,000” Patrick Mouratoglou questions ATP on Nick Kyrgios’ massive fine, compares previous incidents with lower fines of other players

Nick Kyrgios and Patrick Mouratoglou

Nick Kyrgios is an Australian player who made headlines when he beat the then World No.1 Rafael Nadal to move on to the fourth round of Wimbledon when he was merely 19. But more recently the Australian star has been the centre of attraction for infamous events than his achievements, the most recent news of him being fined $35,000 for his bad behaviour with the chair umpire in the Miami Open.

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The Australian had participated in the doubles tournament and crashed out in the semis. Nick was playing against Italian player Jannick Sinner when he was fined for smashing his racket and verbally abusing the chair umpire Carlos Bernardes. He also got a point penalty for telling his friend in the stands that he could do a better job officiating. He further got a game penalty for yelling “What is unsportsmanlike?” to the umpire and then going to the benches and breaking the racket on the court.

He was fined 5,000; 10,000; and 20,000 for obscene use of language, not having sportsmanship behaviour, and verbal abuse respectively. When asked about his behaviour, Kyrgios did not apologize to the umpire and defended his actions and said, “He’s not even going to get a slap on the wrist for his dreadful umpiring performance today. Like, he was horrendous.”

Patrick Mouratoglou defends Nick Kyrgios’s actions

Patrick Mouratoglou
Patrick Mouratoglou

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Patrick Mouratoglou, coach for Serena Williams since 2012, tried to ask if what happened with the Australian player was fair. Taking to his Instagram story, He then goes on to say, ” consider the other players who have been fined:

  • $7,000 for hitting the umpire’s face with the ball
  • $3,000 for saying a “bomb should explode” on the All England Club after losing at Wimbledon
  • $770 for breaking 4 rackets
  • $12,000 for trying to hit the chair umpire with the ball and calling him an idiot”

This is the first person who has come to support Kyrgios ever since the incident and there may be many more who will come to support him in the future. We believe that what Mouratoglou said also has a point but at the same time, it was not right of Kyrgios to start a tantrum on the court in the middle of the match.

This is not the first time Nick Kyrgios has been fined this month

Nick Kyrgios
Nick Kyrgios

This is not the first time the Australian has been fined for his behaviour. Recently, he was fined $25,000 for smashing his racket after losing his quarterfinals in a match against Rafael Nadal and almost injuring the ball boy. But he apologized for his outburst following the match to the ball boy and also gave him a racket and was glad he was alright.

However, in this Miami Open, he did not apologize at all and also called the umpire a ‘clown’ and was close to getting disqualified as a result. He added, “This is one of the biggest tournaments and you guys can’t do your job, it’s embarrassing,” he said. “I genuinely want to know what’s wrong with you. The crowd hates you. If you are being booed by the crowd you are not doing a good job. I’ve never been part of a match where the umpire has been hated so much. The ATP don’t give a f***.” 

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