Uphold integrity of tennis: ATP's strongest warning after Kyrgios, Zverev incidents of misconduct
ATP's Chairman Andrea Gaudenzi has ordered a complete review of the whole code of conduct in light of a series of incidents involving players like Nick Kyrgios and Alexander Zverev.
FollowTennis officials will hand over stricter punishments for on-court misconduct, the ATP has warned top male tennis players in an internal note sent out on Monday, as the governing body aims to clamp down on repeat offenders. Top players like Nick Kyrgios and Alexander Zverev have been in the headlines over their repeated misconduct during a match, which has clearly not gone down well with ATP officials.
According to reports, the chairman of ATP, Andrea Gaudenzi, has ordered a complete review of the whole code of conduct in light of a series of incidents.
Nick Kyrgios was recently fined 60,000 dollars for a series of angry outbursts at the Indian Wells and Miami Open events, with many critics saying the Australian should have been disqualified.
German Alexander Zverev was thrown out of the Mexico Open in February after smashing his racket repeatedly against the umpire's chair following a doubles defeat.
The circular, as reported by DailyMail UK, states, "The first three months of the season have seen an unusual frequency of high-profile incidents involving unsportsmanlike conduct. This includes serious cases of verbal and racquet abuse."
"We have seen too many dangerous moments, with officials or ball persons caught in the crossfire of aggressive or disrespectful conduct. These incidents shine a bad light on our sport. This conduct affects everyone and sends the wrong message to our fans, especially young fans," wrote Gaudenzi in the internal note as quoted by Dailymail.
"Effective immediately, and as we head into the clay-court swing, the ATP officiating team has been directed to take a stricter stance in judging violations of the Code of Conduct. Additionally, we are also undertaking a review of the code, as well as the disciplinary processes, to ensure that it provides appropriate and up-to-date penalties for repeat offenders," the note goes on to add.
Also read: Indian Wells: Alexander Zverev crashes out; critics ask German to take a break
Gaudenzi stated that he understands that players are human and compete under extreme pressure but added, "We all have a role to play to uphold the reputation and integrity of our sport."
The ATP has been criticised for failing to suspend anyone, and it has been pointed out that both ball kids and umpires have been lucky to escape injury from rackets swished in anger.
