Nick Kyrgios On Probation: Aussie Promises ‘Best Behavior' For Next 6 Months

After being put on probation by the Association of Tennis Professionals (ATP), Australian tennis star Nick Kyrgios is determined to be on his "best behavior" for the next six months.

"Guess I'm on my best behaviour for 6 months. #detention,” Kyrgios promised to his 1.2 million Instagram followers Thursday.

The Aussie has been under the radar for some time now. A bad-tempered Kyrgios smashed two racquets during Cincinnati Masters after he lost to Karen Khachanov in August. He was then fined $113,000 for five separate offenses.

Apart from these offenses, an ATP investigation also found Kyrgios' "pattern of behavior” in the past 12 months of verbally abusing officials.

The governing body fined Kyrgios a $25,000 and gave him a suspension of 16 ATP weeks. However, ATP then chose to defer the charges and instead put him on a six-month probation.

“The investigation found a pattern of behaviour related to Kyrgios’s verbal abuse of officials and/or spectators in the past 12 months that constitutes a violation,” the ATP said in a statement Thursday. It added the player had five working days to appeal.

However, Kyrgios has decided to accept the probation and not appeal against it. "Live and die by the sword. I’ll take probo," he said in a comment on Instagram. The probation is expected to begin on Monday and end on March 30, 2020.

The fine and ban will be dropped if Kyrgios complies with the rules and regulations and avoids any more violations. He was also asked to seek help from a specialist in behavioral management during ATP's off-season.

However, it is still uncertain when will Kyrgios play next in the ATP. Due to a collarbone injury, he withdrew from the final day of Laver Cup team event last Sunday. But then, he flew to China, where he crashed out of the opening round of both singles and doubles events at the Zhuhai Championships.

Later on, Kyrgios broke the news that the collarbone injury is expected to keep him from the rest of the Asian leg, which ends with Shanghai Masters in about two weeks.