The news awaiting Aussie Nick Kyrgios when he woke up Sunday morning was that the ATP had suspended him for eight weeks -- and fined him an additional $25,000 -- for his conduct during his listless loss last week in the second round of the Shanghai Masters.
The suspension, for "conduct contrary to the integrity of the game," would last until Jan. 15, the day before the start of his home grand slam, the Australian Open.
The positives for Kyrgios attached to the suspension is that his exile could be reduced to a mere three weeks, until Nov. 7, if Kyrgios agrees to "enter a plan of care under the direction of a sports psychologist or an equivalent plan approved by ATP."
The suspension and caveat raise numerous questions, starting with this one: Is the ATP's response appropriately firm, given that the closest thing to a sacred contract in tennis is the ATP's promise to fans that its players will provide their best effort?
That question, in different contexts, has always been at the heart of the tennis establishment's still-brief-but-thorny history with one of the most lavishly talented but ill-mannered players to emerge on the ATP Tour since former No. 1 Marcelo Rios.
Some will say the ATP's reaction is too lenient. After all, Kyrgios had no real shot at making the ATP World Tour Finals. Last year, he played just one tournament after Shanghai (actually one match; he lost in the first round).
Even if the 21-year old decides to take a pass on meeting with a sports psychologist, the only significant tennis Kyrgios will miss is a single tuneup for the Australian Open. Last year, he lost in the first round at Sydney and still made the quarterfinals in Melbourne. So even the full eight-week suspension doesn't appear overly harsh.
The most disturbing aspect of this incident is that for the second time in barely a year, Kyrgios crossed a line that is considered off limits. The first time, he violated the taboo against directly attacking or disparaging a fellow player. Kyrgios tried to humiliate Stan Wawrinka in an ugly, highly personal manner last summer in Montreal.
This time, Kyrgios shattered an even more holy writ, and not quietly. He earned censure from the chair umpire, live, and incurred a fine for his verbal abuse of a paying spectator who took exception to Kyrgios' lack of effort (those combined infractions almost immediately earned him a relatively paltry fine of $16,500).
"I support the reduction," Cliff Drysdale, a founder and former president of the ATP -- and now a tennis commentator for ESPN -- told ESPN.com. "But it has to be made clear, and there has to be a real commitment by the ATP that if this happens again, there will be a ban of a year or longer."
Drysdale played alongside the tight-lipped Aussies and gentlemanly, highly disciplined U.S. players, including Arthur Ashe and Stan Smith, who drove the tennis boom of the 1960s and '70s. He describes himself as "old-school" but appreciates great showmen such as Ilie Nastase, Jimmy Connors, John McEnroe and Rios. Kyrgios is the first player in a long time who has a comparable talent for electrifying the crowd with his tennis while living at the temperamental edge.
"This kid keeps you watching," Drysdale added. "A large part is his spectacular talent. The other part is he's like watching a NASCAR race, waiting for a wreck to happen. I wouldn't underestimate the value of that. But you have to contain him and keep him to a certain professional level."
One of the more discouraging things about Kyrgios' actions in Shanghai was his timing. This controversy exploded just days after Kyrgios experienced the biggest win of his career, in Tokyo. He was all business there while still entertaining. Now he's undermined the hopes that he's found the key to channeling his expressive nature in the most fruitful way. Or he's found it and pitched it into the tall grass.
Kyrgios has apologized for his behavior, most recently in a statement issued Monday: "I do understand and respect the decision by the ATP and I will use this time off to improve on and off the court. I am truly sorry and look forward to returning in 2017."
It's hard to gauge the sincerity of a formal statement. But many parties are still inclined to cut Kyrgios slack in an ever-shortening rope.
"I think sometimes players do need protecting as well," No. 2-ranked Andy Murray told British reporters last week. "Sometimes he [Kyrgios] goes into press and says things he regrets. In those situations he maybe needs to be guided a little bit better and I'm sure he will learn from that. ... You don't want to see young guys who are in the spotlight, struggling and making mistakes, doing things that ultimately hurt them."
Just how much the ATP's disciplinary actions will hurt Kyrgios is open to question. But "hurt" isn't the only relevant word in this process. "Help" is another, equally significant one.
"He just doesn't seem to understand," Drysdale said of Kyrgios' tenuous grasp of his professional obligations. "He's kind of out there. Maybe now he'll get it."
