Disgraceful scenes at the Queen's tennis tournament final.
http://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/0/tennis/18479244
Surely this violence cannot be condoned.
http://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/0/tennis/18479244
Surely this violence cannot be condoned.
Disgraceful scenes at the Queen's tennis tournament final.
http://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/0/tennis/18479244
Surely this violence cannot be condoned.
There's no malicious intent there whatsoever, how on earth is kicking a hoarding violence?
EDIT - An injury isn't violence BTW!
I agree that there is no malicious intent, but I would still regard kicking an advertising board as a violent action.
I agree that there is no malicious intent, but I would still regard kicking an advertising board as a violent action.
However in something like tennis you need to to vent frustration on something, whether that's the screaming when you hit a shot, throwing down the racquet or whatever. As far as I'm concerned, it's like kicking into the ground or smacking the goalpost when you make an error in football, I can't believe they'd actually disqualify someone for this. Like McEnroe in the 80s, they gave tennis an energy. Can you imagine how utterly boring it would be if with every error they just said, 'Well bless this mess, shall we continue old chap?'. It's nonsense.
However in something like tennis you need to to vent frustration on something, whether that's the screaming when you hit a shot, throwing down the racquet or whatever.
Screaming...or throwing down a racquet...as you put it, is something that seems rather childish when used by a professional sports person and shows a lack of maturity and control. When you make a sport your living, you have to realise that there are rules that cover conduct of any player and these rules are set to be abided by and are for the well-being of the game being played.
So, in response to you comment, you do not need to vent frustration. Incidentally, do not forget that in the game of tennis, there is a violation code that covers "racquet abuse". Serena Williams is a tennis player in recent years who found out to her cost that "childish tantrums" in the course of a tennis match leads to retribution from the governing bodies of tennis.
IIRC, the ATP Tour rules state something along the lines of it being an instant disqualification if a player hits an official. As it should be.
Disqualification followed unsporting behaviour. This is Lawn Tennis not Association Football where disention and unsporting behaviour is part of the so-called game.
And where both are punishable by a caution. If, however, that unsporting behaviour caused an injury to an official, like that suffered by the line judge, I'd expect to see a sending-off for violent conduct.Disqualification followed unsporting behaviour. This is Lawn Tennis not Association Football where disention and unsporting behaviour is part of the so-called game.
Be fair, if a player had done this in a football match they would have been immediately red-carded. This is just the same.
It is a fair bet that the next time David Nalbandian loses his temper, he will be keeping his feet to himself. The Argentinian's petulant kick at an advertising hoarding, which left a gash in a line judge's shin, had already cost him his prize money of £36,114 and the 150 ranking points he had earned for reaching the final of the Aegon Championships on Sunday. On Monday he was fined an additional 10,000 (£8,029) for unsportsmanlike conduct the maximum possible and he is even facing a complaint of assault.
The Metropolitan police told the Guardian that it will be investigating the matter but would not reveal who made the complaint. The line judge in question, Andrew McDougall, was back at work on Monday, officiating in the Wimbledon qualifying competition, at Roehampton, in south‑west London. McDougall had been treated at Queen's Club on Sunday but did not require any hospital attention.
Considering that the kick was captured live on BBC television and the video has gone viral on YouTube, the police will have plenty of angles from which to examine Nalbandian's action. Though the chances of the assault claim turning into a charge would appear to be slim, the incident could yet prove to be a lot more expensive.
A spokesman for the ATP said on Monday said that there would now be an immediate full review of events, including Nalbandian's criticism of the ATP both in his on-court interview and later in his press conference. Under the ATP's rules, if Nalbandian is found guilty of aggravated behaviour he could receive a fine of up to $25,000, or even an additional £36,114 the amount he would have won in prize money. Though it would be highly unusual if the 30-year-old is found to have violated a rule entitled "conduct contrary to the integrity of the game" he could be fined up to $100,000 and suspended from the ATP Tour for up to three years.
The blood that ran down the line judge's leg doubtless exacerbated the seriousness of the incident but there is no suggestion that Nalbandian intended to kick him, as the tournament director, Chris Kermode, and the ATP chief executive, Brad Drewett, both agreed. Having handed the title to Croatia's Marin Cilic through his default, the fact that Nalbandian then attacked the ATP for sometimes "forcing players to play in dangerous conditions" did not help his cause but he later made a more whole-hearted apology, saying he felt "ashamed and sorry".
"I never intended to hit him," he said in a statement. "It was an unfortunate reaction in which I wanted to let off steam after losing a point. I had the opportunity to personally apologise to the line umpire for this regrettable act that I am fully responsible for."
It seems unlikely Nalbandian will be given an additional ban and regardless the Argentinian will be free to play at Wimbledon, which begins on Monday. The nine-times Wimbledon women's champion Martina Navratilova expressed her feelings via Twitter on Monday, saying: "Nalbandian assaulted a wooden box, not the linesman. Assault? Police? Really?" while Alastair Campbell, Tony Blair's former director of communications, who was at Queen's Club for the final, said he had "been punished enough".
At the Australian Open this year, Nalbandian was fined £5,400 for throwing water over a doctor during a doping test. The ban was later reduced to £1,277 on appeal but his reputation clearly precedes him. At the French Open just over a week ago, the world No1, Novak Djokovic, was fined the same amount for smashing a hole in his court-side bench with his racquet. The difference, it seems, was that no one else was sitting behind it.
And where both are punishable by a caution. If, however, that unsporting behaviour caused an injury to an official, like that suffered by the line judge, I'd expect to see a sending-off for violent conduct.