Nick Kyrgios hit with record-setting fine for Cincinnati meltdown

The ATP has fined Nick Kyrgios $113,000 following his second round loss to Karen Khachanov in Cincinnati. The bulk of the fines, which include five separate unsportsmanlike conduct violations, came from a series of insults directed towards chair umpire Fergus Murphy. Kyrgios called Murphy “the worst f*ing referee ever.”

After the match, Kyrgios called Murphy “a f*ing tool,” and instead of shaking his hand the Aussie spit in the general direction of the chair.

At one point during the match, Kyrgios walked off the court with two brand new racquets in hand. He returned to the court with two shattered racquets.

This incident stems from a previous confrontation this past month at the Citi Open where Kyrgios called Murphy, who is Irish, “a potato with legs and arms.”

Kyrgios went on to win the Citi Open in stunning fashion, afterwards he stated “this has been one of the best weeks of my life,” and added “I feel like I’ve made major strides.”

This pattern of behavior is nothing new for Kyrgios, who so often offers tennis fans glimmers of hope and flashes of brilliance. These bright spots are almost assuredly followed by bizarre and in this case, somewhat indefensible behavior.

The ATP is still investigating the incident to see if additional punishment and/or fines are warranted.

Below is the official ATP statement on Kyrgios' record setting fine, the largest fine for on-court infractions since 1990, the beginning of official record keeping for the ATP World Tour.