Nick Kyrgios will have $7300 less to spend on a coach after the world No.14 was hit with two fines for separate code violations in his shock second round loss at the Australian Open.
It comes as former Davis Cup captain Wally Masur encouraged Kyrgios to sit down with Lleyton Hewitt to hatch a plan that would see the former world No.1 coach him on a part time basis at the least.
Kyrgios was fined $US3000 for using foul language, which was compounded by another $US2500 hit to the pocket after he was slapped with a racquet abuse violation in the five set loss to Andreas Seppi.
The world No.14 who admitted he needs a coach to take the next step in his career, has been without a coach for almost two years and has been reluctant to commit to anyone given his preference going about business with freedom and no accountability.
Nick Kyrgios was booed off after his five set loss to Andreas Seppi.Credit:Getty Images
However Masur, who is now Tennis Australia's managing director of performance, believes there is only one person Kyrgios trusts outside of his camp that has the ability to get through to the troubled superstar.
"The big thing for me is that obviously with Lleyton as our Davis Cup captain, I'm sure you guys have seen in Sydney and Brisbane that he's so hands on," Masur said.
"My understanding is the best mentor Nick has outside of his immediate group is Lleyton. From my perspective working with Tennis Australia and the performance team, could there be a better scenario than organically Nick and Lleyton sitting down and starting to work through that together?
"I was there at the Fast4 in Sydney, Lleyton was on court with Nick and it works. Nick listens to him. I've got my fingers crossed that is a real positive for us moving forward. Coaches are interesting too, because even though you might think there's a natural fit, the reality is you almost have to go through a trial period. I have specific coaches out there, some already employed obviously. I think we have some good coaches in Australia too."
Some of the other names being thrown out as potential suitors for Kyrgios include Darren Cahill,
Hewitt's role with Tennis Australia is far greater than just a Davis Cup captain, taking ownership of the men's development program that has seen him forge a close connection to rising star Alex De Minaur.
While Masur believes Kyrgios could benefit with having a coach - even for a portion of the season - he's unsure whether Hewitt has the time to commit himself to helping the 21-year-old realise his potential.
"That's something you'd have to ask Lleyton. What Lleyton has is players who can potentially win the Davis Cup for him in Nick and Bernie," Masur said.
"But putting his imprimatur on the whole men's program is pretty key ... Lleyton has got a pretty full brief so I don't know how that will play out. I'll be honest, coaching week in week out, you'll eventually bore each other to death. I think the idea - and Nick might be a perfect scenario - where you have someone who is a coach for 15-20 weeks, and then it might be a case of another kid who gets out on the road with him for five and plug a few holes.
"The thing about Nick is, if you actually watch him play, he constructs the points pretty well. He's pretty tactically aware so for him it's just about finding the right person and going through the process of maximising his talent."
A few years ago Pat Cash discussed the possibility of coaching Kyrgios but negotiations broke down over the price of his services.
But Cash insists he wouldn't take the job on now.
"Why would I want to get involved in a job like that?" Cash told 3AW radio on Thursday.
"I wouldn't last one minute. Same thing with Lleyton Hewitt, Bernie Tomic or Andy Murray - if they started screaming at me and abusing me up in the box, I'd pack it up and walk out."
Michael Chammas is a sports reporter with The Sydney Morning Herald