Andy Murray
Andy Murray had a major meltdown as he crashed out of the China Open on Thursday, with his racket smashing antics nothing new.
Andy Murray couldn’t seize the opportunity presented by three match points, resulting in his first-round loss to Alex De Minaur in Beijing.
The 24-year-old Australian battled his way to a 6-3 5-7 7-6 (6) victory over the former world number one in a fifth career meeting between the pair, with De Minaur having won all five including in the first round at Queen’s earlier this year.
Andy Murray is not alone in losing his temper on court and here at five of the biggest meltdowns of all-time.
1. Serena Williams – 2018 US Open
Serena Williams apologised to Naomi Osaka and consulted a therapist after her 2018 US Open final meltdown.
Williams’ outburst towards umpire Carlos Ramos, branding him a “liar” and a “thief” after he docked her a game, overshadowed Osaka’s maiden grand-slam victory.
The American said Osaka had accepted her apology but still insists she was a victim of sexism at Flushing Meadows.Writing in Harper’s Bazaar, the 37-year-old said: “In the end, my opponent simply played better than me that day and ended up winning her first grand-slam title. I could not have been happier for her.
to and that my family truly changed, not because we were welcomed, but because we wouldn’t stop winning.”
2. Nick Kyrgios – most years!
The Aussie maverick is as famous for his tantrums as he is match wins, with chair umpires, lines people and members of the crowd all coming under fire during his explosive career.
Racket smashes are a speciality of this wild character, who admits he struggles to contain his anger on court. Kyrgios was fined for taunting Switzerland’s Stan Wawrinka during a match when he suggested his friend Thanasi Kokkinakis has slept with his girlfriend, fellow tennis player Donna Vekic.
He also courted controversy at the 2019 Laver Cup as he said: “I lost concentration, I saw a really hot chick in the crowd. Like, I’m being genuinely honest – I’d marry her right now. Right now.”
Kyrgios is one of the most fined players in tennis, but he rarely seemed to put him off upsetting the game’s authorities during his controversial career.
3. Daniil Medvedev
This Russia star is often unconventional with his actions on court and he pushed the rules to breaking point at the 2020 ATP Cup.
In the second set of a fractious last eight clash with Argentina’s Diego Schwartzman, Medvedev approached Swedish chair umpire Mohamed Lahyani to argue the point after getting a code violation for unsportsmanlike conduct.
When he didn’t like what he heard from the umpire, he started smashing his racket on his chair and came close to being defaulted.
4. Alexander Zverev
German star Zverev described his Mexico Open disqualification last year as the “the worst moment” of his life.
The world No 3 was withdrawn from the Acapulco tournament a fortnight ago after he verbally abused the chair umpire and also struck the official’s chair several times with his racket.
He was fined $40,000 (about £30,500) and also lost his rankings points while the ATP conducted a review into the incident.
Former world No 1 Mats Wilander called for Zverev to be suspended and sent for rehabilitation, but the ATP opted to only hand him a suspended eight-week ban while he was also hit with an additional fine of $25,000 (roughly £19,000), which was also suspended.
Zverev was later handed a suspended sentence by the ATP.
5. Novak Djokovic
At the 2020 Olympics in Tokyo, Djokovic suffered a meltdown during his bronze medal match against Pablo Carreno Busta from Spain on Saturday as he tossed one racket into the empty stands and later
smashed another racket against the net.
“It was an emotional outburst and it happens. It’s not the first time and not the last time, probably,” the Grand Slam legend said.
“It’s not nice of course but it’s part of, I guess, who I am. I don’t like doing these things. I’m sorry for sending this kind of message but we’re all human beings and sometimes it’s difficult to control your emotions.”
