"I don't think he should be suspended," Federer said. "He walked off the court. What did he do? He hurt a chair? That's not enough for me. "I don't know if he's on probation or not from his Shanghai thing. If that's the case, then obviously you can maybe look into it. If that's run its course, I don't think he should be suspended." Warning: Video contains strong language Kyrgios was already suspended by the ATP Tour for two months in 2016 for "tanking" a match and insulting fans during a loss at the Shanghai Masters.

The latest incident occurred on an outer court at the Foro Italico, with Kyrgios losing 6-3, 6-7 (7-5), 2-1 at the time of his meltdown against Ruud. Loading First, Kyrgios slammed his racquet on the clay and kicked a water bottle. Then he picked up a white chair and flung it onto the court with his right hand. The men's tour said Kyrgios will lose €33,635 ($A54,500) in prize money from the tournament and 45 ATP ranking points. Kyrgios was also fined €20,000 ($A32,500) for the three unsportsmanlike conduct penalties he received during the match and must cover the cost of his hospitality during the tournament, the ATP said.

"A zero pointer, fine, all this stuff is already tough enough," Federer added. "He knows it's a mistake what happened." Ruud said many players were debating how long Kyrgios should be suspended. "It doesn't seem like anything makes him change these days," Ruud said. "The ATP should do something ... I'm not the only one who thinks he should be suspended for at least half a year." Before leaving the court, Kyrgios shook hands with Ruud and the chair umpire.

"Very eventful day to say the least," Kyrgios wrote on Instagram. "Emotions got the better of me and I just wanted to say that the atmosphere was crazy out there today, just super unfortunate that it had to end in a default. Sorry Roma, see you again, maybe." Before he was defaulted, Kyrgios received a warning for ball abuse, then was docked a point for unsportsmanlike conduct and lost a game for more unsportsmanlike conduct. "He was getting angry that some guy was walking in between his first and second serve," Ruud said. "Then he was getting more and more angry ... He does whatever he feels like doing. I think he got what he deserved." Top-ranked Novak Djokovic, who is president of the ATP player council, said he had "no opinion" on whether Kyrgios should be suspended. "I'll let others, officials, decide that," Djokovic said.