Since joining the ATP Tour, Nick Kyrgios has never been too far from controversy. His racquet-smashing, on-court slurs and Twitter rants have branded him the modern day John McEnroe, minus the major success.
ESPN has compiled a list of the top eight most infamous Kyrgios moments.
The almost disqualification (August, 2014)
Kyrgios' 2014 US Open is remembered as the tournament he stunned Rafael Nadal in the fourth round, but trailing in our memory from that fortnight at Flushing Meadows, only just, was his round-one outburst. In his clash with Mikhail Youzhny, Kyrgios was handed three warnings for various instances of audible obscenities and racquet smashing. One more display of inappropriate conduct would have seen him disqualified. While he had certainly arrived as a future tennis star, it was clear this wasn't going to be an isolated incident.
War of words with Stan Wawrinka (March, 2015)
The Australian delivered a controversial and downright ugly sledge during a match against fans' favourite Stan Wawrinka at the 2015 Rogers Cup. Kyrgios' suggestion that fellow Australian Thanasi Kokkinakis had "banged your girlfriend," came under severe scrutiny as tennis fans lashed out at him for his comments. The ATP fined Kyrgios US$10,000 -- which would increase to US$25,000 for a second offence -- as well as handing down a 28-day tour suspended sentence. The controversy also forced Kyrgios' mother, Nill, to shut down her Twitter account after a raft of personal attacks.
So disappointing to see a fellow athlete and colleague be so disrespectful in a way I could never even imagine.
— Stanislas Wawrinka (@stanwawrinka) August 13, 2015
Umpire abuse (June, 2015)
Inappropriate language has landed Kyrgios in hot water on more than one occasion, but none more so than at Wimbledon in 2015. Kyrgios let out a series of curses after hitting a wild shot, and one of the linesman complained to the chair umpire. Demanding answers, Kyrgios marched up to Carlos Bernardes saying: "What did he say to you? Does it feel good to be up there in that chair? Does it make you feel strong?" Kyrgios refused post-match to apologise for his comments.
Double trouble at Wimbledon (June, 2015)
During a match with Milos Raonic, Kyrgios was handed a code violation after angrily throwing his racquet into the ground with so much force that it leaped over the court barriers into a spectator. Later in the match, Kyrgios exchanged words with a female spectator who allegedly told him to "pull your head in". Kyrgios retaliated in typical style, claiming she had no idea what it was like to play tennis professionally.
Tanking at Wimbledon (June, 2015)
After a number of controversial calls went against him, Kyrgios appeared to completely give up on his fourth-round match against Richard Gasquet at the All England Club. Kyrgios looked disinterested in the match after dropping the first set and trailing 2-0 in the second -- at times not even attempting to return the Frenchman's serve. With a chorus of boos ringing around the court and Kyrgios telling his entourage in the coaching box to leave, this could easily be labelled the lowest of his many low points.
Dealing with Chiller and Fraser (May, 2016)
You can probably guess what Kyrgios did when Australia's Olympic Chef de Mission Kitty Chiller accused the tennis brat of acting like a buffoon and not in a manner that would warrant selection as an Olympian. Yep, he took to Twitter and suggested she should watch some of his highlights before ruling him out of Olympic contention. The comments came months after Kyrgios labelled Dawn Fraser "a racist" after the Australian Olympic legend had told him to go back "where he came from". Kyrgios then withdraw himself from Olympic selection.
Someone tell that Kitty chiller to watch that tweener lob, then she will understand why I'm on watch for the olympics lol #smh
— Nicholas Kyrgios (@NickKyrgios) May 7, 2016
Only interested in Pokemon (July, 2016)
Kyrgios caused a stir on Twitter when he claimed he was more interested in catching Pokemon than playing tennis. A series of tweets that suggested he got more of a thrill from watching a Pokemon egg hatch than winning a break point once again divided fans. When someone suggested his actions wouldn't have been mimicked by tennis greats Roger Federer and Novak Djokovic, Kyrgios retorted by saying, "Did Fed or Nole have a 200CP Gyarados... Didn't think so."
Just quietly, how good is Pokemon Go. Honestly been playing that more than tennis 😳😅😍
— Nicholas Kyrgios (@NickKyrgios) July 24, 2016
Cincinnati meltdown (August, 2016)
During his unexpected early exit from the Cincinnati Masters, the Australian vented his frustrations Happy Gilmore style by smashing not one, not two, but three tennis racquets. Kyrgios lost to Borna Coric 7-6, 4-6, 7-6 in the second round and showed his displeasure after dropping an opening set tiebreaker. He did the dirty work by picking up the racquets from his courtside seat and smashing them them on the hardcourt surface, one after the other.
Mac attack (August, 2016)
Kyrgios withdrew from his US Open third-round match against Illya Marchenko with a hip flexor injury, saying he felt like he'd been "hit by a bus" at one point during the defeat. "I can't move. I can't turn, mate," he said to his courtside trainer. "What's the f---ing point?"
John McEnroe, who has been critical and complimentary of Kyrgios in equal measure since the 21-year-old's emergence on the tour, was unimpressed, however.
"Nick Kyrgios, if you don't want to be a professional tennis player, do something else," McEnroe said. "He's hurt because he's not training enough."
Shanghai surprise (October, 2016)
Kyrgios was booed during a listless 6-3, 6-1 loss to Mischa Zverev at the Shanghai Masters, then angrily defended his behaviour by saying he didn't owe the spectators anything and that fans could "just leave" if they didn't like his attitude. This came just three days after winning the Japan Open. He was fined a total of $16,500 for failing to give a full effort, unsportsmanlike conduct and verbal abuse of a spectator, and was then fined an additional $25,000 and suspended for the rest of the season for "conduct contrary to the integrity of the game".