NEW YORK –
Fiery Australian Nick Kyrgios was fined $7,500 for “spitting and audible profanity” during his second-round win at the US Open on Wednesday, tournament organizers told Reuters.
The fine was the highest ever imposed on a player at the tournament.
The Wimbledon finalist had an ongoing dialogue with himself during his 7-6(3) 6-4 4-6 6-4 win over France’s Benjamin Bonzi, but boiled over when he was broken late in the fourth set.
He immediately spat in the direction of his players’ box and cursed at a man he found unsupportive.
“Go home if you’re not going to (expletive) support me, bro,” he called out during the changeover.
“You are not a spectator.”
Kyrgios also complained about the smell of cannabis during his night game at Louis Armstrong Stadium, saying he was concerned it could aggravate his asthma.
Fines for unsportsmanlike behavior are nothing new for the 27-year-old.
He was fined for spitting towards a fan after his first-round win at Wimbledon and again for swearing at a referee during his heated fourth-round win over Stefanos Tsitsipas.
Kyrgios is also being sued for defamation by a fan he accused of looking like she’d had “700 drinks” during his defeat in the grass-court major final, where he also berated members of his players’ box.
(Reporting by Rory Carroll in New York; Editing by Himani Sarkar)