Dummy spit that could cost Nick Kyrgios a $1 million pay day

Nick Kyrgios has $1 million riding on the ATP’s next move.

The recent antics of Nick Kyrgios could cost him a $1 million Laver Cup payday. Picture: Getty Images

Nick Kyrgios has $1 million riding on the ATP’s next move.

His Sideshow Bob routine is earning him a motza in professional tennis — more than $10 million a year despite him becoming a complete flop at the majors — but one of his most lucra­tive pay days, from Roger Feder­er’s management company, will go up in smoke if he is suspended by the governing body. The phlegm he directed at umpire Fergus Murphy in Cincinnati? That may have been a seven-figure spit.

Kyrgios is facing a potential one-year ban after calling the Association of Tennis Professionals “corrupt” just a fortnight after his appalling treatment of Murphy. He pulled the curtain on his grand slam year on Monday by forfeiting the doubles in the second round at the US Open.

He cited an elbow injury that was not evident at any stage of his failed singles campaign. His final set against Russian Andrey Rublev, in a straight-sets defeat, was so half-baked that ESPN switched its television coverage to a match on another court.

Being an underperforming brat has paid handsomely, though. Kyrgios has earned $2.1m in singles and doubles prizemoney this year alone. Factor in his appearance fees for certain events and lucrative endorsement deals with Nike, Yonex and Beats, who all push the bad boy image, and Kyrgios’s net worth has reached approximately $10m a year.

He made $242,000 for winning just two singles matches at the US Open. He collected another $44,000 for his fleeting commitment to doubles.

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Despite saying he needed a break from tennis, again, Kyrgios confirmed his intention to play the Laver Cup in Geneva from September 20. The tournament is run by Federer’s management company, TEAM8, and Kyrgios’s past appearance money has come in at $1.1m. The Laver Cup was previously an exhibition event. The worry for Kyrgios is that this year, for the first time, it has ATP World Tour status. A suspension will make him ineligible for the tournament — and its pay cheque.

His defence against the seemingly inevitable ban, which may be handed down as early as next week, is that he provides entertainment. He said sarcastically in New York: “Yeah, I guess I’m a pretty boring player. I don’t bring much to the sport, so …”.

ATP investigations are centred on Kyrgios’s conduct at the Cincinnati Masters and US Open. He called Murphy a “f..king tool” and spat in his direction in Cincinnati.

He subsequently accused the ATP of being “pretty corrupt” after they slapped him with a $167,704 fine.

He’s become a chronic underachiever at the majors. He’s beaten only one player ranked above him at a grand slam tournament since Wimbledon in 2015. That was Frenchman Jo-Wilfried Tsonga at last year’s Australian Open.

Seven of his past 11 defeats at majors have been to players ranked below him. In the final set against Rublev, he played as if he did not want to be there. And 24 hours later, in the doubles, he really wasn’t.