1. Serena Williams, US Open 2009

Williams was fined $10,000 for unsportsmanlike conduct by the U.S. Open. This is the maximum amount a Grand Slam tournament can levy against a player, but not the highest in the sport – Maria Sharapova, for instance, was fined $125,000 for pulling out of a tournament in Berlin in 2008, though that fine was more like docked wages than an incurred debt. Williams also  earned another $500 fine for “racket abuse” (no rackets are abused in the above clip). The Open has not yet decided whether the entire outburst merits further penalties, such as a suspension.

2. Jimmy Connors, Lipton International Players Championship, 1986.

 

Connors complained so vociferously about the officiating that a judge defaulted him in the fifth set, ending the match. Connors stormed off the court and later had to pay $20,000 in fines. He was issued a 10-week suspension, causing him to miss the French Open.

3. John McEnroe, 1981 Wimbledon

There are plenty of McEnroe tantrums from which to choose, but this one is the loudest – and most memorable.  McEnroe was fined $1,500 for this outburst, and “You Cannot Be Serious” became something of a catchphrase, and later became the title of his 2002 autobiography. He lost the match.  went on to win the tournament.

4. Mikhail Youzhny, 2008 Miami Masters Tournament

Youzhny had just missed an easy shot while attempting to come back from 5-4 down in the third set when he decided to attack his tennis racquet with his head.
Youznhy whacked himself three times on the head in front of a
stunned audience, opening a wide gash in his head, and forcing a
stoppage in play.

When play resumed, he won the next seven points, and by consequence, the match. Congratulations? 

5. Marat Safin

Can this Marat Safin, who has a long history of temper tantrums and tirades…

…be the same as THIS Marat Safin, who during the 2009 Hopman Cup kissed an elderly net minder he accidentally beaned with a ball?

Bonus – 6. The Baumer (The Royal Tenenbaums)

Tags: blowing up on the court, hot headed tennis pro, meltdowns on the tennis court, pro tennis, tennis gone awry, the baumer