Australia’s Nick Kyrgios was dumped from the US Open on Saturday, falling to Russian Andrey Rublev and overheard saying he really didn’t want to be on the court.
Rublev advanced to a fourth-round match against Italian 24th seed Matteo Berrettini with a 7-6 (7/5), 7-6 (7/5), 6-3 triumph.
“Nowhere near my best tennis, but it is what it is,” Kyrgios said.
A microphone caught Kyrgios commenting that he wanted to go home, which prompted Kyrgios to say, “I guess I’ve been on the road five and a half months now. It’s not easy.”
It didn’t get any easier with the ATP issuing a record $113,000 fine to Kyrgios for his actions at Cincinnati. And Kyrgios could face punishment for calling the ATP “corrupt” after a US Open victory, although he later tweeted a statement saying that was a poor choice of words for the issue of double standards he wanted to raise.
The ATP is investigating the remark as a major player violation, which could carry a possible suspension. That would bring time off and a chance to head home.
“Would I welcome it? I don’t know if I look at it like that,” Kyrgios said. “I have no say in it. I guess it’s out of my control.”
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