World quantity three Alexander Zverev faces an eight-week ban from tennis if he repeats the behaviour which led to his expulsion from the Mexican Open.
Zverev has now been discovered responsible of a ‘main offence’ after an ATP overview.
The German 24-year-old shall be banned if he commits one other comparable offence inside 12 months of the incident.
Comparable offences embody unsportsmanlike behaviour and verbal or bodily abuse of anybody at a match.
In addition to the eight-week ban, Zverev has been handed an extra suspended $25,000 (£19,000) positive.
The most important penalty in males’s tennis so far was a 16-week suspended ban given to Australian Nick Kyrgios in 2019 for verbally abusing a chair umpire and smashing two racquets.
Zverev has till 11 March to enchantment in opposition to the choice.
‘Some will take into account it too lenient’ – Evaluation
BBC tennis correspondent Russell Fuller
As with Nick Kyrgios, who was additionally deemed to have dedicated a serious offence for an unsightly sample of behaviour in 2019, Zverev’s additional punishment is on maintain.
Kyrgios’ 16-week ban was suspended for six months, however as a result of harm the Australian solely performed half a dozen tournaments in that point.
Zverev, in distinction, will anticipate to play about 20 occasions over the following 12 months.
In that lengthy time frame, he can’t afford to be disrespectful or aggressive to any officers, gamers or spectators.
Some will take into account a suspended sentence too lenient, however the ATP’s determination does put the onus on Zverev to vary his behaviour in a everlasting and significant method.
