ATP Kuala Lumpur 2015: Ban threat, family, add pressure to Nick Kyrgios Malaysian Open bid

Controversial Aussie tennis pro Nick Kyrgios will take on Colombian Santiago Giraldo in the first round of the Malaysian Open in Kuala Lumpur on Monday night, but the 20-year-old Aussie faces added pressure with the threat of ATP’s suspended ban, and playing in front of his family.

Kyrgios will be back in tennis action at this year’s ATP World Tour in Kuala Lumpur against Giraldo with a possibility of triggering the penalties, which have been withheld by ATP given he meets certain conditions until Feb. 24, if he misbehaves in KL. The dual grand slam quarterfinalist was also left out by Australia’s Davis Cup team, which lost to Great Britain team in Glasgow, after showing another series of his on-court antics during the US Open in New York.

Kyrgios, who will be playing his first match since his first round defeat at the US Open against Andy Murray, was handed a suspended 28-day ban and $25,000 fine for sledging Stan Wawrinka in Montreal last month. Kyrgios, seeded seventh in the tournament, said his bid for his first ATP title at the Malaysian Open would be “special” because of his mother Nill’s Malaysian heritage, but admitted there would also be added pressure playing in front of his family.

“It is definitely a special tournament not only for me but also my mum. I also have a lot of relatives in Malaysia so there is added pressure for me to do well,” Kyrgios said, the Herald Sun reported. “But I enjoyed playing in KL last year and felt really comfortable. I think I can do well in Malaysia.”

Kyrgios is also in line to earn a top 32 seed at next year’s Australian Open if all goes well in Kuala Lumpur. According to Tennis World USA , finishing the best way possible in Kyrgios’ Asian Tour campaign would help him avoid facing a top seed in the first round of a Grand Slam title, in the same manner of what had happened at the US Open when he played Murray.

After competing at the Malaysian Open, Kyrgios will visit Japan to participate in the Tokyo Open followed by the Shanghai Masters in China.

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