Racket abuse during a tennis match is the term used to describe a player that throws one’s racket due to anger or frustration during a tennis match. Such actions are usually sanctioned with a penalty. A racket abuse violation can cost a player as high as $500 as fine for every occurrence.
The Difference of Breaking a Racket and Racket Abuse in Tennis
There is a big difference in breaking a racket and racket abuse in a professional tennis game. If a player breaks a racket during game play and wins a point in the process, the point stands. This is only true if no other rule is broken during game play. If the point is in play, the player with the broken racket can continue to play and finish a point with that racket. The point also stands as played. However, when a racket is intentionally thrown and broken during a play, this is considered to be unethical and may lead a player to be fined. This also includes hitting the net violently, the court, the umpire’s chair as well as other fixtures in the court during the match out of frustration and anger.
Abuse of Racket Violations by Professional Tennis Players
If a tennis player violates a rule and does not follow tennis codes of conduct during game play, they are subject to warnings, fines and penalties. Misconducts such as racket abuse can also lead to player disqualification and game penalties. Fabio Fognini was penalized for smashing his racket into the court during the 2014 Wimbledon Championship. It was his match against Alex Kuznetzov when the Italian smashed his racket into the court. He was given a fine of $27,500 which also included a fine for his heated argument with the umpire. Another notable tennis player who was fined for racket abuse was Nick Kyrgios. He was fined for racket slamming, tossing a stool into the court and for offensive languages directed to the spectators. He was fined more than $35,00 for these offences in the Italian Open 2019. Kyrgios also broke two rackets after he was defeated in the second round of the Cincinnati Open in 2019 by Karen Khachanov.