By Richard Pagliaro | @Tennis_Now | Wednesday, July 12, 2023
Wimbledon—Mirra Andreeva's racquet-tossing antics cost her a point penalty and cash.
The 16-year-old qualifier was hit with a total of $8,000 in fines for two separate unsportsmanlike conduct penalties in her 3-6, 7-6(4), 6-2 Wimbledon fourth-round loss to Madison Keys on No. 2 court.
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Andreeva tossed her Wilson racquet to the turf after losing the second-set tiebreaker for a code violation warning and in the final game was hit with an unsportsmanlike conduct point penalty for again losing her racquet though she argued it slipped out of her hand chasing a shot.
Because grass is such a sensitive surface, chair umpires at Wimbledon will make that call virtually anytime the racquet leaves the players' hand and hits the lawn.
The 8K in fines will come from the $267,000 Andreeva earned for her fourth-round run in her Wimbledon debut.
Andreeva said she deserved the first unsportsmanlike conduct call, but called the second "controversial."
"For me it's a controversial point because I'm not sure if -- I don't know which decision was right," Andreeva said. "She's the umpire. She's the one who makes the decision. "But, honestly, I didn't have any intention to throw the racquet. I slid.
"Honestly, I thought that I will fall forward. Maybe it did look like I threw the racquet. I don't know. I didn't see any videos yet. But that was her decision to make, so she made this decision. Now that's it. She made the decision, so the match is over now."
After earning the biggest payday of her career, Andreeva had no immediate plans to go on a shopping spree at Harrods. Instead, she said she plans to reinvest it in her career.
"Everything just goes to my parents and they decide what to do with the money," Andreeva said. "Yeah, but most of it I think will go to tennis, to the tickets, to pay for the coaches, for everything.
"Maybe I will buy something to myself, but I'm not sure yet."
Photo credit: Rob Newell/CameraSport