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From John McEnroe to Nick Kyrgios: Tennis star’s outburst is history repeating itself

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Before bay boy Nick Kyrgios there was John McEnroe and Lleyton Hewitt. Source: Getty

Controversial tennis star Nick Kyrgios has been fined $US113,000 ($AU167,000) and faces a possible suspension for his shocking behaviour at an overseas competition this week, after he was seen spitting and swearing at a chair umpire at the game’s conclusion – but this is hardly the first tennis tantrum we’ve watched on court.

The 24-year-old faced off against Russia’s Karen Khachanov at the Cincinnati Masters in Ohio, USA, this week, going down 6-7, 7-6, 6-2. However, it was his on court antics that have again caused a stir as the star launched into multiple tirades throughout the tough match. Kyrgios could be seen swearing at chair umpire Fergus Murphy after shaking hands with his opponent, clearly frustrated with the outcome on the day. That wasn’t the only angry outburst of the day though, with Kyrgios captured slamming two of his racquets to the ground earlier in the match

However, we’ve seen tennis stars have tantrums on the court for years – no one could forget tennis bad boy John McEnroe, who became notorious for his on-court antics and outbursts that frequently landed him in trouble with umpires and tennis authorities, earning him the nickname “Super Brat”. Arguably the most memorable moment of his career was back in 1981 when a young McEnroe unleashed his famous “you cannot be serious” tirade against an umpire.

And it seems like only yesterday when Lleyton Hewitt, not Kyrgios, was known for his bratty behaviour on the court. You might recall the Australian tennis player had an (at times) strained relationship with both fans and rivals early in his career, before he made a comeback as a more mature professional.

Today Kyrgios has certainly earned the bad boy title after the Aussie was up to his old tricks again earlier this week, earning him the hefty fine. The Association of Tennis Professionals (ATP) announced the penalties on Thursday, listing a breakdown of offences ranging from $3,000 to $20,000 each for violations such as unsportsmanlike conduct, verbal abuse, leaving the court and audible obscenity.

“In addition to the on site fines announced today the ATP is looking further into what happened during and immediately after the match to see if additional action is warranted under the Player Major Offense section of the code. That could result in an additional fine and/or suspension,” the game’s governing body said in a statement.

At the time, others weren’t too impressed with yet another tantrum from Kyrgios who has failed to impress Aussies over the past few months.

“He is doing what millions would love to do, but he does not appreciate it,” one person commented on Twitter. “All that talent wasted. If he controlled his emotions he would be ranked right up there. But not the way he is behaving.”

“Remove him from our sport, horrible influence,” another chimed in. While a third simply added: “He is a disgrace to the game.”

His latest fiery outburst comes just weeks after he was slammed for his bad boy behaviour at the Citi Open in Washington, with footage capturing him throwing a water bottle angrily at the umpire’s chair. Kyrgios was taking some time out, part way through his match against Japan’s Yoshihito Nishioka when he turned to his left and threw the bottle with force.

And this is the second time in two months the controversial tennis star has been slapped with a hefty fine thanks to his on-court antics. Last month, Kyrgios was handed two fines totalling $US8,000 (AU$11,471) for his behaviour during Wimbledon. He received one $3,000 fine during his match against Jordan Thompson, and another $5,000 when he lost against Rafael Nadal.

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