NEW YORK _ Nick Kyrgios tried to walk back his assertion the governing body of the men's tennis tour is "pretty corrupt," but the Association of Tennis Professionals said Wednesday it is investigating his comments. The 24-year-old Australian could face a heavy fine or a lengthy suspension.
Speaking early Wednesday, after he won his first-round match against American Steve Johnson, Kyrgios was asked about having been fined $113,000 for misbehavior in a tournament at Cincinnati.
"The ATP is pretty corrupt anyway. I'm not fussed about it at all," he said.
In an effort to do damage control, he issued a clarification via Twitter, saying he had chosen his words badly while accusing the ATP of having a double standard by punishing him more harshly than it punishes other players for similar infractions.
"To be clear I know I'm not perfect and do not pretend to be and I acknowledge I've deserved fines and sanctioning at times but I expect consistency and fairness with this across the board, to date that's not happened," he said.
That's not likely to appease the ATP.
"The comments made by Nick Kyrgios after his first-round match in New York will be assessed under the Player Major Offense provision under ATP rules," it said in a statement. "A determination will be made by Gayle David Bradshaw, executive vice president, rules and competition, following an investigation as required by ATP rules."
Kyrgios has been fined more than $130,000 this year for actions including cursing at an umpire, smashing rackets and making a vulgar gesture. He was defaulted out of a match in Rome for swearing and throwing a chair on the court.
