Tennis is done for under-fire Aussie Nick Kyrgios in Montreal, but the story isn't over

MONTREAL – Nick Kyrgios actually expected worse when he walked onto Court Banque Nationale to play American John Isner in the third round of the Rogers Cup.

There were boos when he walked on, and when his name was announced – far more than scattered, far less than universal. But while it was clear Kyrgios was trying to keep it clean, and he nearly got through the whole match that way, there's little doubt the toning down of the rhetoric also resulted in the toning down of his tennis in a 7-5, 6-3 loss to American John Isner.

The subdued Kyrgios was no more contrite Thursday evening than he was late Wednesday night, in the wake of the ATP Tour's announcement of the fines levied against him and his terse Facebook apology, carefully crafted with all the right buzz words.

The tennis? Lacklustre from his side, solid from the side of Isner, who couldn't have expected to be a massive favourite cheered on by a bunch of Quebecers on this day. Or perhaps he had an inkling, but he certainly seemed to appreciate it as he soldiered through another victory despite the obvious physical effects of an overabundance of tennis the last three weeks on his 6-foot-10 frame.

The Aussie went out of his way to be civil to the ballkids; on top of the $10,000 fine levied by the ATP Tour for the "insulting comment he made to Stan Wawrinka" during their match Wednesday – the maximum fine allowed for an on-site infraction – he was assessed an additional $2,500 US fine for a remark he made to one of the ballkids during the match.

He was hugely complimentary to Isner's good shots – there were at least five variations on, "too good, mate" in the first three games alone. It's not unusual for Kyrgios to compliment an opponent's shot; in fact, it's a regular thing. But this was extra mustard.

He refrained from bouncing his racquet; the most he did was toss it in the air a couple of times and catch it.

And despite a little of baiting from the crowd - to be fair, most applauded his occasional great shots as well – he resisted taking the bait until a few points before the end of the match.

At that point, after jawing with them for a bit and holding up Isner, who was serving for the win, he finally got back down to business – but not before apologizing to Isner for holding him up.

Manager John Morris and Australian tennis legend Lleyton Hewitt were among his supporters – all of Team Kyrgios, in a proportion far greater than the rest of the crowd on an afternoon when the sun went in and out – wearing sunglasses and looking stern. Hewitt, who signed on about a week ago not as a coach, but as a mentor and advisor, must be wondering at this point what he signed on for even if he's no fool, and might have had a pretty good notion.

The issue that Wawrinka had with Kyrgios's quick serving continued. To watch him closely an entire match is to realize that it's not just the serving – it's everything. Kyrgios is such a hyperactive guy that he really can't go one nanosecond without doing something.

Despite the standard admonition from the chair umpire on a television court to wait for the call of "Time" before rising from their chair, because of the commercials, Kyrgios got up, on average, about 45 seconds after he sat down. That's about halfway through the commercial breaks.

Isner had to be ready quickly, and for the most part he was, without holding up his hand to slow up his opponent. There are ways to slow that train down – notably going to the towel – but Isner didn't indulge.

Later, the ATP announced that in addition to the fines, Kyrgios had received a "Notice of Investigation". That basically means the ATP is going to take an even closer look, to determine whether the Aussie's actions fit the criteria for "major offences" in the ATP rule book, such as "aggravated behaviour" or "conduct contrary to the integrity of the game."

The fines that go along with that are exponentially higher (in the $100,000 range), and there could even be a suspension from competition on the ATP Tour, which is serious business.

All that is in the future. In the present, Kyrgios's brother Christos was back home in Canberra, Australia, basically fanning the flames.

The elder Kyrgios appeared on a radio show and when he made a lewd comment about the 19-year-old Kyrgios referenced in his remark to Wawrinka during their match, the show basically shut him down. He then took to Facebook and made several more inappropriate comments – including a vow that had it been him, not his younger brother, down in the hallway in the players' lounge having a confrontation with Wawrinka after the match, he would have done him bodily harm.

The Facebook comments were deleted but of course, nothing is ever deleted in cyberspace. They are floating around social media.

There are provisions in those ATP rules that also apply to players' relatives and entourages (for the most part, it seems to be players' fathers who are the biggest perpetrators). So Christos Kyrgios may end causing his brother even more headaches because of all this.