Rodionova Defaulted

[FedExpress]

From BBC Sport

Anastasia Rodionova became only the second player on the WTA Tour to be disqualified from a match when she hit a ball at supporters in the stands.

Germany's Angelique Kerber was handed a 4-6 6-4 1-0 victory at the Cincinnati Open after the Russian smacked the ball at fans cheering for her opponent.

Without warning, Rodionova was defaulted by tournament referee William Coffey for unsportsmanlike conduct.

She said: "I've never seen in my life anyone defaulted in this situation."

In the 36-year history of the tour, the only one other default in the main draw of a tournament was Irina Spirlea who was disqualified in 1996 at Palermo for directing abusive language at an official.

Rodionova added: "I'm shocked. I still don't understand why they defaulted me. I'm really upset.

"I had no warning. I didn't hit the ball at anybody. I didn't swear at anybody. I didn't throw my racquet."

 

[christos_liaskos]

Hard to give a correct statement on this story since there are conflicting stories. The article claims she smacked a ball at the fans - something that in my mind she should unquestionably be disqualified for, but she claims she didnt. So whos telling the truth?

If she did then I cant believe she is questioning the decision, it sounds a bit like the ridiculous situations that players and managers get into in English football. Like where managers defend players who are so clearly in the wrong. I hate that, they just make themselves look completely thick.

 

[Vision84]

I thought Mcenroe was defaulted once in his career. Jeff Tarango was sort of defaulted at Wimbledon one year. He refused to play so the officials defualted him.

 

[JLyon]

Yahoo story makes it sound like she fired a ball at the siding on the edge of the court, the area she slammed it in happened to be where some of her opponents were. Sounds like a good default to keep some of the young brats in line.

 

[angharad]

The article claims she smacked a ball at the fans - something that in my mind she should unquestionably be disqualified for, but she claims she didnt.

She could have hit the ball into the stands, but not at any one person in particular. The statements don't really conflict if that's how she meant it.

I thought Mcenroe was defaulted once in his career. Jeff Tarango was sort of defaulted at Wimbledon one year. He refused to play so the officials defualted him.

They're only talking about the WTA here, not the ATP.


Personally, I'm glad some refs are enforcing rules a bit more. The stuff that players can get away with is ridiculous.

 

[babolat15]

lol, hilarious

 

[LeftyServe]

To me, match defaults without first issuing a warning, or a point penalty, need to be used only as a resort for truly egregious behavior. I don't know what happened here, but I can recall two recent incidents which seemed unfair to the player: Xavier Malisse, who got defaulted serveral years ago at Indian Wells for allegedly uttering a single curse at a linesperson; and Caroline Wozniacki, who got defaulted at the U.S. Open Juniors last year, also for allegedly uttering a curse at a linesperson. Both player were extremely upset at being defaulted, and both vehemently denied uttering the curse. And it retrospect, it seems ridiculous that either of them, Malisse - a native French speaker - and Wozniacki - a native Danish speaker (and not bratty at all) - would have cursed in English at a linesperson at a tournament in the States. But there was no appeal, no real thought, just a quick decision by the umpire to default, and that's that.

 

[Marius_Hancu]

As far as I know, Mr. Coffey is from Montreal.

Good stuff.

 

[MEAC_ALLAMERICAN]

Good for her !!!

Isn't this what some american fans prefer, a display of personality and raw emotions during matches?

 

[QuietDaze]

I know I want to see some raw emotion. I think if she did smack the ball in their direction then good for her if they were being rude. From what I read they were cheering for her opponent while they were actually playing. If so, then THEY should have been warned. I think if you act like an azz then you should expect a repercussion. Sounds to me like no harm, no foul.

 

[QuietDaze]

Yahoo story makes it sound like she fired a ball at the siding on the edge of the court, the area she slammed it in happened to be where some of her opponents were. Sounds like a good default to keep some of the young brats in line.

What if the fans were the bratty ones?

 

[scineram]

Good for her !!!

Isn't this what some american fans prefer, a display of personality and raw emotions during matches?

LoooooooooL

Pwned.

 

[katarddx]

somebody with opinion, finally!

 

[Ronaldo]

Good for her !!!

Isn't this what some american fans prefer, a display of personality and raw emotions during matches?

Welcum to the Dawg Pound, send her to the flats in Cleveland, where fans show ther true emotions with bottles.

 

[idiotboy]

Butt-picking Should Be Cause For Automatic Disqualification!

 

[psamp14]

lol...rodionova...first time i saw the name in headlines i thought it was some new combo name for roddick and sharapova...

 

[mileslong]

she played for the newport breakers of world team tennis last year, they play just down the street from me and i used to see them play all the time. she has some of the best legs and rear i have ever seen. i never saw her display any temper at all at any of her matches with the breakers, pretty funny actually...

 

[JLyon]

What if the fans were the bratty ones?

And who is supposed to the professional??

 

[rosewell4ever]

i wish there there was a video posted on this....clear things right up!

 

[QuietDaze]

Being a professional athlete does not give fans the right to be ignorant. I said IF the fans were cheering DURING play that's just rude and uncalled for not to mention against tennis etiquette. She didn't hit them with the ball, but why do we expect professional athletes to just take the crap some fans dish out? They all should have gotten a warning but getting DQ'd is a bit much I think.

 

[sondraj]

Welcum to the Dawg Pound, send her to the flats in Cleveland, where fans show ther true emotions with bottles.

Hell Yeah baby, clevelander here.

I'm so sick of tennis fans and tennis players acting like babies because "the fans don't like me, and they don't cheer for me" bah

So freaking what they the fans are cheering for the player they are fans of, wow unbelievable.

Tennis is such a P**** sport

 

[Alexandros]

Being a professional athlete does not give fans the right to be ignorant. I said IF the fans were cheering DURING play that's just rude and uncalled for not to mention against tennis etiquette. She didn't hit them with the ball, but why do we expect professional athletes to just take the crap some fans dish out? They all should have gotten a warning but getting DQ'd is a bit much I think.

Fine, so complain to the umpire and get them to pipe down or get thrown out. I can't believe you're trying to excuse her behaviour. So she hits a ball towards the crowd, but because she didn't actually hit anyone that makes it ok?

 

[MEAC_ALLAMERICAN]

Hell Yeah baby, clevelander here.

I'm so sick of tennis fans and tennis players acting like babies because "the fans don't like me, and they don't cheer for me" bah

So freaking what they the fans are cheering for the player they are fans of, wow unbelievable.

Tennis is such a P**** sport

LOL..Funny stuff.

But it looks like she is still in the doubles with American Lilia Osterloh, maybe she will do it again :grin:

 

[C_Urala]

Fine, so complain to the umpire and get them to pipe down or get thrown out. I can't believe you're trying to excuse her behaviour. So she hits a ball towards the crowd, but because she didn't actually hit anyone that makes it ok?

It would be logical, if she actually were upset by them. As far as I understood, her action had nothing to do with the fans. She was upset by her play and tried to shake off her frustration. She smacked a ball into the side fence. Of course, it was towards someone. If she really wanted to hit someone with the ball, she would definitely hit the mark. She is not the best player in the world, but surely can succeed it it (hey, even I can )

I don't think it's good behavior of her, but immediate defaulting is overreaction.

 

[C_Urala]

As far as I know, Mr. Coffey is from Montreal.

Really? I thought he's from GB...

 

[QuietDaze]

Alexandros - doesn't make it Ok but it certainly doesn't sound like it warranted a DQ. I wasn't there so really this is all hypothetical. At the end of the day, I think fans have a right to cheer for their team/person. I do not think they have the right to be disruptive and offensive. I believe that if you can't take it, don't dish it out.

 

[Moose Malloy]

MASON - Normally a doubles match is just a doubles match - that is, it's rather inconsequential as far as the storylines go for a major professional tennis tournament.

But the final match of the night Wednesday featured Lilia Osterloh and her doubles partner, Anastasia Rodionova, who quickly had become the most controversial player here at the Western & Southern Financial Group Women's Open.

The Sony Ericsson WTA Tour revealed Wednesday that Rodionova had been fined $5,000 for behavior that led to her disqualification from a singles match Tuesday at the Lindner Family Tennis Center. So the doubles tournament, which pays $7,620 to the winning team, gave Rodionova a chance to reclaim some fine money.

"I'm trying to deal with it," Rodionova said. "I still don't feel 100 percent comfortable on the court. I didn't sleep well last night ... I still think about it. I'm still upset."

Rodionova and Osterloh defeated Kirsten Flower and Connie Hsu 6-2, 6-1 Wednesday night to advance to today's quarterfinals.

Meanwhile a fan claiming to be involved in the controversy sent an e-mail to The Enquirer suggesting that kicking out Rodionova from the singles tournament might have been too harsh a response.

"... We, like the rest of the people in the stands, were calling to the referee to warn her rather than have a defaulted match," the fan wrote in the e-mail.

By Wednesday afternoon, Rodionova's story had generated such interest that ESPN was calling the Center Court press box asking for footage of her disqualification (there was none), which was only the second such disqualification in the history of the 34-year-old Tour.

William Coffey, the tournament referee who disqualified Rodionova, reaffirmed his decision Wednesday. Coffey disqualified Rodionova, he said, because he determined that Rodionova hit a ball with high velocity at a group of three fans who had been exchanging words with Rodionova during her match against Angelique Kerber on Tuesday. The ball hit against the wall surrounding the court. Coffey, who did not see the action, said the chair umpire told him the ball hit within one foot of the top of the wall.

"It was a tough situation," Coffey said. "You've got to act rapidly. Based on the information available, it was clear to me it was the appropriate decision. I thought about it a lot last night, and it's a decision I'd make again under the same circumstances."

One of Rodionova's chief complaints was that Coffey disqualified her from the match without actually witnessing the event that triggered her ouster. Coffey said he had been watching the match earlier and was bothered by the verbal interaction between Rodionova and the fans. The report of her hitting the ball at the wall where they were sitting was enough to throw her out.

"I was aware that those discussions between Anastasia and the fans had been escalating," Coffey said. "And she hit the ball, not just in frustration, but in an attempt to send a message to the fans."

The fan who e-mailed The Enquirer said she was shown in an Enquirer photograph in Wednesday's newspaper and agreed with Coffey's assessment, writing, "At one point (Rodionova) approached us and asked, 'Do you want the ball? Come down here and play.' I responded, 'No, Thank you.' It was after loosing (sic) the 2nd set that she turned and slammed the tennis ball into the backstop below where we were sitting. I believe she had no intentions of hitting us but just wanted to scare us."

Rodionova adamantly disagreed.

"That's wrong," she said. "I did not say that, and I did not try to hit anyone. I just let out my frustration."

 

[superstition]

One male tennis commentator said, many years prior to this incident, that there's a double standard in tennis, where men like McEnroe were allowed to abuse umpires and do a lot of bad things but women would be punished more severely for smaller infractions.

 

[Moose Malloy]

One male tennis commentator said, many years prior to this incident, that there's a double standard in tennis, where men like McEnroe were allowed to abuse umpires and do a lot of bad things but women would be punished more severely for smaller infractions.

I think its more applicable to stars getting better treatment than no-names. I've seen Capriati & Serena curse up a storm & not get warned.
The same happened in Mac's time, scrubs got defaulted, while he got a pass for worse behavior.
Its the same for many sports actually. People want to see Serena, Mac, etc, who cares about Rodionova? This will probably be the most famous aspect of her career(like Tarango)
Maybe she'll get more autograph requests at her next event.

 

[jmsx521]

From what I read I think it's too harsh of a ruling. I've seen worse than that, with the player not even getting a warning.