Tennis is allegedly a gentleman’s game, especially so at Wimbledon. There are rules against speaking during serves, and the games take place on the exquisitely manicured lawns of exclusive country clubs, in front of be-suited judges and polite crowds. However, because the game has a human judgment component, emotion can occasionally seep into the staid proceedings, like when Viktor Troicki lost his head today and threw a loud, whiny temper tantrum at this umpire for calling a ball in that he thought should have been out.
The Serbian did not win his loud, rude appeal, and ended up crashing out on the very next point. The world’s 27th-ranked player then immediately got back in umpire Damiano Torella’s face after losing. He eventually explained himself, and sounded only slightly calmer:
“Everyone would get (angry) on such a point and such circumstances,” he said. “It was just frustrating and it was tough to handle such a situation.”
Troicki faces a fine for his rant.
“He should be also fined, if you ask me,” Troicki said. “He should be the one who’s fined. I’m not saying he cost me the match, but he cost me an important point which could have changed the outcome of the match.”
[BBC]