In a mentally taxing sport like tennis, some players break and let their temper get their best. Organisers and associations frequently impose fines on erring players to discourage similar behaviour. Recently, Australia’s Marc Polmans was disqualified from the Shanghai Masters qualifiers and fined for hitting the chair umpire with the ball. Many compared it to Novak Djokovic getting disqualified at the 2020 US Open.
Polmans, like many before him, let his frustration spill over and whacked the ball that accidentally hit a match official. Novak Djokovic, Serena Williams, Nick Kyrgios, Benoit Paire etc., are some of the most-fined names, be it for losing their cool or committing accidents. On that note, here are five of the heaviest fines in tennis –
5. Bernard Tomic made to pay $56k for alleged tanking
At the 2019 Wimbledon Championships, Bernard Tomic made it to the record books for all the wrong reasons. Not only did he lose one of the quickest matches in the history of the Slam event, but also received the biggest fine the organisers have ever imposed.
Tomic’s first-round display against Jo-Wilfried Tsonga was shambolic. He lost 2-6, 1-6, 4-6 in just 58 minutes, the shortest Wimbledon men’s match in over a decade. The Australian player was practically just jogging around, hitting limp returns, and overall showing no energy or enthusiasm. He was fined his entire prize money for not meeting ”the required professional standards’. Tomic unsuccessfully appealed against the then $56,500 (45,000 pounds) fine, by claiming that he was unwell.
4. David Nalbandian fined nearly $70k in 2012
At the 2012 Queen’s Club Championships, David Nalbandian coughed up one of the biggest fines in tennis history. Not only that, but he also threw away an opportunity to win the ATP 250 title.
In the final of the tournament in London,#10 seed Nabandian won the first set against Marin Cilic. After losing the break point which gave his Croat opponent a 3-4 lead in the second set, the Argentine lost his temper. He kicked the advertisement board in front of a line judge in a fit of rage. The panel smashed into smithereens, hitting the judge and causing him to bleed from his left shin.
Nalbandian was instantly defaulted, awarding Cilic the match and the title. He was fined $12,560 for unsportsmanlike conduct. He was also docked all his prize money, which amounted to $57,350, thus bringing his total penalty to $69,910.
3. Serena Williams forked out over $82,000 in 2009
In the semi-finals of the 2009 US Open, Serena Williams came up against an unseeded Kim Clijsters. The latter, on a comeback from retirement, bagged the first set and got to match point in the second. However, a memorable win for her was overshadowed by some shocking behaviour from Williams.
Serving when Clijsters was two points away from the win, Williams received a foot fault on her second serve. This, in addition to giving her opponent the match point, enraged the defending champion. She went on a tirade against the line judge who called the fault, allegedly threatening the official (via tennis.com).
“I’ll take this ball and shove it down your f***** g throat.”
After a discussion that lasted a few minutes, Serena Williams was handed a point penalty, which meant Clijsters won the match. Despite apologising right away, she was hit with a then-record fine of $82,500.
2. Nick Kyrgios added a six-figure fine to his rap-sheet in 2019
At the 2019 Cincinnati Masters, serial offender Nick Kyrgios created history with a massive fine after collecting violations in wholesale quantities. In his second-round match against Karen Khachanov, the Australian received five separate unsportsmanlike conduct violations. The majority of the fines were imposed for abusing the chair umpire multiple times and for breaking his rackets.
During the match, Kyrgios left the court without the umpire’s permission only to smash rackets. He called the umpire the ‘worst referee’ and a ‘f***** g tool’, also refusing to shake hands after the match. Instead, he spat in the direction of the umpire’s chair. For his long list of offences, and perhaps due to his reputation as the ‘bad boy’ of tennis, the ATP sought to make an example out of him. The association imposed a stunning fine of $113,000 on the Aussie, breaking all records.
1. Novak Djokovic paid double the amount of his previous record as fine in 2020
The 2020 US Open remains a blot on Novak Djokovic’s otherwise glowing career. A brief moment of frustration coupled with some bad luck in the fourth- round clash against Pablo Carreno Busta cost the Serb heavily. After losing a game, he randomly hit a ball out of frustration, without even looking where he was aiming. Unfortunately, the ball hit a line judge straight in the throat and she required medical attention.
Novak Djokovic immediately rushed to her and apologised. However, after a long talk involving other officials, he was disqualified, handing Carreno Busta the win. Not only did he lose an opportunity to win a Grand Slam and the ATP points, but also had to face a big fine.
Novak Djokovic was first fined $10,000 for the violation and a further $7,500 for skipping the mandatory post-match press conference. This was in addition to having to forfeit his prize money of $250,000 for making it to the fourth round. Overall, Djokovic’s penalty came out to be $267,500, breaking the previous record by some distance.
