Faced with a big setback in a game he was going to lose shortly after at the Australian Open on Monday, Alexander Zverev leaned forward in his seat near the sidelines and, violently, repeatedly – eight times in all – smashed his racquet on the ground before getting rid of it.
“I heard it,” Milos Raonic said. “I do not think I have looked in that direction. I think what was happening was pretty clear.”
It was certainly not unusual. Shattering, throwing or bouncing your racquet on the ground is the most common form of anger in professional tennis. People see it in all kinds of players; men or women, known or unknown, seeded or not.
During the first week of the Australian Open, Naomi Osaka, Dominic Thiem, Ryan Harrison and Daniil Medvedev, just to name a few, experienced angry moments that deserve to be broadcast on video.
For better or for worse, smashing a racket is an essential part of the sport, as well as strikes and setbacks. Such actions will reveal a player’s level of frustration, may change the pace of a match, often result in a multi-thousand dollar fine and may even – as was the case with Serena Williams at his defeat against Osaka in the final of the US Open last September (due to a warning earlier in the game) – cost a point.
“I love that! I understand that for young people, it’s not nice to see. But sometimes, it’s very important to show emotion.” former tennis player Henri Leconte, said.
Milos Raonic beats Alexander Zverev in the 2019 Australian Open. (Source:www.youtube.com)
“In my day, we had so many players doing such things: John McEnroe often did; Goran Ivanisevic broke his snowshoes.
“Sometimes, when you see your opponent doing that, you think, ‘Oh, he’s really angry. Its good.’ But when you played against McEnroe, you were in trouble, because afterwards, he played better. Leconte added.
When it comes to this topic, current players will refer to McEnroe, Andy Roddick or Marat Safin. They will talk about memorable expressions of anger, such as the Swiss Stanislaw Wawrinka who folded his racket in half using his knee, much like a Major league hitter who tries to break his stick.
Or Marcos Baghdatis who took rackets out of his bag during a game of the Australian Open in 2012 to shatter four before throwing them aside.
