Nick Kyrgios swore at the umpire and said he didn’t care if he was fined because his Wimbledon return ended in defeat in the men’s doubles.
The Australian was playing his first match at the All England Club since losing the 2022 final to Novak Djokovic, having suffered from injury in recent years.
The 31-year-old, whose current world ranking is 899, has not been offered the right to compete in singles competition.
Joining Alexander Bublik in doubles, the pair lost 6-3, 6-4 to sixth seeds Marcelo Arevalo and Mata Pavic.
The incident occurred after Kyrgios’ serve was broken early in the second set.
French referee Manuel Absolou spoke to Kyrgios, who used an expletive in response: “To be honest, at this point you can fine me, I honestly don’t care.
“You can fine me. All these rules are so stupid anyway.”
Kyrgios was fined three times totaling £14,500 during the 2022 tournament.
Two of these incidents involved obscene language and the other involved spitting at a spectator.
Kyrgios, who has battled knee and wrist injuries in recent years, claimed his first win at ATP Tour level since March 2025 at the Stuttgart Open in June.