Venus Williams has been sanctioned to the tune of $3,000 (£1,900) by tournament organisers for aborting a mandatory news conference following her first-round exit at the French Open.
Williams, seeded 15th at the Roland Garros this year, refused to show up at the post-game media briefing after suffering a 7-6 (7-5) 6-1 defeat at the hands of fellow American Sloane Stephens in the first round.
It is the second time 34-year-old’s will suffer opening defeats at the clay tournament in the last three years.
Herself and younger sibling, Serena, also received a fine of $4,000 at Wimbledon in 2010 for not appearing at a press conference after defeat in the doubles.
Venus Williams Groans During Her 1st Round Defeat by Sloane Stephens. Image: Sports Today.
Venus instead opted to issue a statement after failing to show up at the press conference on Monday.
She said: “When you arrive at any tournament you hope you will have a chance to work your way into the event, but I didn’t have that opportunity,” the statement said. “She just played better than me today.”
The nine-time Grand Slam winner is not scheduled for any competition until this year’s Wimbledon, which starts on 29 June.
0 comments:
Post a Comment