Player behavior was on tenterhooks at this year's Australian Open, with $115,000 collected in fines just leading up to the semi-finals.
With the absence of bad players like Nick Kyrgios and Bernard Tomic, the absence of the well-behaved Daniil Medvedev, and perhaps the linesmen being replaced by Hawkeyes, this was the polite grand slam.
That could all change when fierce rivals Medvedev and Alexander Zverev renew their feud in their semifinal match on Friday night.
Medvedev was fined $17,000 for a series of violations during his semi-final win two years ago.
Medvedev committed just one violation en route to the final round in 2024 – a $9,000 fine for unsportsmanlike conduct during his marathon second-round victory that ended shortly before 4 a.m.
This represents the largest fine ever disbursed. Smiling Hubert Hurkacz — known as one of the nicest men on the tour — received a $7,600 fine for obscenity during his loss to Medvedev on Wednesday.
Holger Röhn ($7,600 for unsportsmanlike conduct) and Tommy Paul ($6,000 for abusing his racket) are the other two big-name players who were hit in the hip pocket.
Australian Daria Saville was subjected to the largest fine in the women's draw. Savile, 29, was fined $7,600 for committing an indecent act during her first-round loss.
Savile still took home $173,000 in prize money for reaching the first round of singles and the second round of doubles.
The top female players have stayed out of trouble so far. The female players collectively earned $40,000 while the men earned $75,000.
It is known that Kyrgios received a $171,000 fine for the collapse in Cincinnati in 2019. He described the chair umpire as a “ridiculous tool” as well as leaving the field without permission to smash two rackets. He returned to the court with cracked rackets in his hand.
At Wimbledon that same year, Tomic lost all of his prize money ($80,000) due to a perceived lack of effort while “not playing to the required standard” in his first round match against Jo-Wilfried Tsonga.
Tomic lost in less than an hour, and his appeal to overturn the fine failed.
Originally published as Australian Open Day 13: Live scores, and all the latest news from Melbourne Park
