Tennis super star, Venus Williams has been fined $5,000 by the Australian Open for failing to show up to her mandatory post-match press obligations after a first round loss here on Tuesday.
The fine is the 35-year-old’s second in a year after Williams skipped press at the French Open in May. She was fined $3,000 there.
It’s just the eighth infringement by a women’s tennis player since 2000, and a third by Williams. She and sister Serena were both fined $4,000 after skipping press at Wimbledon in 2010 following a doubles match.
Williams, the No. 8 seed here, lost 6-4, 6-2 to world No. 47 Johanna Konta inside Rod Laver Arena Tuesday, marking just her eighth first-round exit in 62 Grand Slam appearances.
Players are required to do post-match media after each of their Grand Slam and tour-sanctioned matches. In the last 25 years, there have been only 19 fines handed out by a committee of Grand Slam supervisors, which assessed the fine to Williams.
It’s the 19th fine issued during the 2016 Australian Open, but first under the “media conference” category, as well as the highest overall. Other fines have come for audible obscenities on court as well as abuse of racket or equipment. Australian star Nick Kyrgios was fined the second most behind Venus, a $3,000 amount for an audible obscenity in his first round match.
The $5,000 fine, which will come out of Venus’ first-round earnings of $34,500, is the second highest for a media infringement since Marat Safin was fined $10,000 at the French Open in 2001. Andre Agassi was fined the same amount at the 2000 French Open, as well.
It’s the first fine at the Australian Open since Nicole Vaidisova failed to come to press in 2009. She was fined $2,000.
Williams did not adhere to requests from WTA and tournament personnel to come to press, much the same as she did when she lost to fellow American Sloane Stephens in Paris in May. She is not entered in the doubles or mixed doubles draws.
