ATP fines Nick Kyrgios for Stan Wawrinka insult despite Facebook apology

A Facebook apology on Thursday did not prevent Nick Kyrgios from being fined by the ATP for an “insulting remark” he made a day before during a Rogers Cup match against Stan Wawrinka.

The amount of the fine was not revealed. The ATP said it would release a statement on the matter once Kyrgios was notified.

A court-side microphone Wednesday night picked up Kyrgios remarking that fellow player Thanasi Kokkinakis had slept with Wawrinka’s girlfriend.

“Sorry to tell you that, mate,” Kyrgios said at the time.

A day later the Australian player issued an actual apology.

“My comments were made in the heat of the moment and were unacceptable on many levels,” Kyrgios wrote. “In addition to the private apology I’ve made, I would like to make a public apology as well. I take full responsibility for my actions and regret what happened.

The 30-year-old Wawrinka, who is reportedly dating 19-year-old player Donna Vekic of Croatia, lashed out against Kyrgios on Twitter on Wednesday night, calling for the ATP to take action.

“So disappointing to see a fellow athlete and colleague be so disrespectful in a way I could never even imagine,” wrote Wawrinka, who retired from the match during the third set with a lower-back injury. “What was said I wouldn’t say to my worst enemy.

“To [stoop] so low is not only unacceptable but also beyond belief.

“There is no need for this kind of behaviour on or off the court and I hope the governing body of this sport does not stand for this and stands up for the integrity of this sport that we have worked so hard to build.”

After the match, Kyrgios said he had been provoked.

“He was getting a bit lippy at me so, I don’t know, it’s just in-the-moment sort of stuff,” Kyrgios said in an on-court interview. “I don’t really know. I just said it.”