Tennis bad boy Nick Kyrgios is facing a fine of up to £37,000 after he swore at the umpire on his Wimbledon return.
The controversial Australian has not graced the lawns of the All England Club since he lost in the final four years ago to Novak Djokovic.
The 31-year-old, now world number 899 after an injury-plagued few years, was not given a wildcard for singles but accepted one to feature in the men’s doubles.
It was during his first-round defeat alongside fellow maverick Alexander Bublik that he was embroiled in an X-rated exchange with French umpire Manuel Absolu.
Absolu spoke to Kyrgios at the changeover after the Aussie had his serve broken early in the second set and responded: ‘Honestly, at this point you can fine me. I honestly don’t even care. Honestly, you can fine me, I don’t give a s***. All these rules are so dumb anyway.’
Wimbledon rules state that players should not use audible obscenities and ‘violation of this section shall subject a player for a fine of up to $50,000 (£37,000) for each violation.
Nick Kyrgios is facing a five-figure fine after swearing at an umpire on his Wimbledon return
Kyrgios knows only too well about getting fined at Wimbledon. He was hit with three separate ones during his run to the final in 2022 totalling nearly £15,000, including for spitting at a fan and for dropping the f-bomb during the final in earshot of Prince George.
His reputation was built early. He was fined for racket abuse at the 2015 Australian Open and famously told an umpire ‘Does it feel good to be up there in that chair?’ At Cincinnati in 2016, he smashed three racquets in one changeover and was once fined $113,000 (£85,000) for claiming the ATP was ‘corrupt.’
Kyrgios and Bublik eventually went on to lose 6-3 6-4 on Court 17 to sixth seeds Marcelo Arevalo and Mate Pavic.
