London: Wimbledon bad boys Bernard Tomic and Daniil Medvedev have been fined for “unsportsmanlike conduct” following their controversial behaviour at the All England Club.
Tomic was hit with a £11,600 ($15,000) fine after the temperamental Australian claimed he was “bored” during his lacklustre Wimbledon first round defeat against Mischa Zverev.
Head, the tennis racket manufacturer, has dropped its sponsorship of Tomic after his comments. “We were extremely disappointed with the statements made at Wimbledon by one of our sponsored athletes, Bernard Tomic. His opinions in no way reflect our own attitude for tennis, our passion, professionalism and respect for the game,” the company said in a statement.
Tomic also admitted he called for the trainer even though he was not injured to try to disrupt his opponent’s momentum. The International Tennis Federation responded by taking a significant chunk of the world number 59’s £35,000 earnings from the tournament. The 24-year-old’s level of effort has frequently been called into question, and he said on Tuesday: “I couldn’t care less if I make a fourth round at the US Open or I lose first round.
“To me, everything is the same. I’m going to play another 10 years, and I know after my career I won’t have to work again.”
Russian world number 49 Medvedev was slapped with a £11,200 ($14,500) fine after a series of disputes with umpire Mariana Alves during his five-set loss to Ruben Bemelmans in the second round.
Medvedev ended the match by throwing coins in the direction of umpire’s chair. He expressed remorse afterwards and insisted he was not trying to insinuate that Alves had been bribed but his conduct cost him $7,500.
The remainder of the fine was for two offences during the match, including being docked a point after a heated argument with Alves. — AFP
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