Grand Slams not only showcase players battling for major titles and 2000 ranking points but also spotlight rising stars like Lois Boisson and Learner Tien, who stunned fifth-seed Daniil Medvedev at Roland Garros. Medvedev himself became the youngest man since Rafael Nadal in 2005 to reach the Australian Open’s fourth round. Yet, these intense moments often trigger visible frustration—recall Medvedev breaking the net camera at this year’s AO. While legends like John McEnroe earned fame with outbursts such as “You cannot be serious,” today’s players sometimes cross lines with harsher slurs. Which just reminds us how tennis’s “gentlemanly” calm has given way to costly lapses in composure.

The biggest fines players like Serena Williams and more received at Wimbledon

Serena Williams wasn’t shy about smashing rackets—literally! She got hit with a £7.9k ($10k) fine twice for wrecking the grass, once during a 2016 match and again in 2019 on a practice court. But she’s not alone. Britain’s Heather Watson faced an even heavier £9.5k ($12k) fine for the same offense during a 2016 match. Grass courts can be unforgiving, especially when players vent their frustration with a racket swing.

After her 2016 incident, Williams later on openly admitted to being “really angry.” She stated, “I had a lot of chances. [McHale] got really lucky on some shots. She just was playing great. I was a little disappointed in myself at that point.” But she wasn’t the only player to lose her cool on the grass courts.

There’s also Nick Kyrgios, tennis’s ultimate bad boy. At Wimbledon 2019, he racked up $11,500 in fines for his fiery on-court antics. First, $3,000 for unsportsmanlike conduct against Jordan Thompson. Then $5,000 for a heated spat with chair umpire Damien Dumusois during his match with Rafael Nadal. Kyrgios was furious Nadal was taking too long between points, despite the 25-second rule. “Wow, you’ve got so much power up there,” Kyrgios sneered at the umpire. “Look at you. Look at you.” Later, he fired, “You’re no one. You think you’re important. You have no idea what’s going on. You’re a disgrace.” Ouch!

Kyrgios wasn’t done. In 2018, he got a £7,900 ($10,000) fine for spitting at fans and another £3.2k ($4k) penalty after a heated third-round clash with Stefanos Tsitsipas, who himself was fined £7.9k ($10k) for angrily firing a ball into the stands. Tennis tempers run hot! Back in 2010, Victor Hanescu made headlines for spitting at spectators and walking off mid-match after a brutal series of errors and frustrations, earning a massive £17k ($21.5k) fine.

Fabio Fognini’s no stranger to fines either. In 2014, he racked up a jaw-dropping £21.8k ($27.5k) in three penalties during a win over Alex Kuznetsov, plus another £5.9k ($7.5k) for abusing a tournament official. In 2019, he shocked fans by saying, “I wish a bomb would explode on this club” during a loss to Tennys Sandgren, which cost him £2.4k ($3k).

Daniil Medvedev also got slapped with a £20.5k ($26k) fine in 2017 for three code violations, including throwing coins at an umpire’s chair. And the biggest fines? Anna Tatishvili and Bernard Tomic were fined in 2019 for “not playing up to standards,” with Tatishvili losing her entire £40.7k ($51.5k) prize money and Tomic hit with a staggering £63k ($80k) bill. Talk about a costly attitude!

Former pro explains why players are fined

Former British number one and four-time Wimbledon semi-finalist Tim Henman told The Telegraph, “Players are under greater scrutiny because the prize money has gone up.” He added, “I think one thing for sure the club have done a good job [of] is really protecting the court. You smash your racquet on a grass court there’ll be some unhappy groundsmen and you’ll get some pretty big fines.” So, where does all that fine money actually go?

Turns out, the cash funnels into the Grand Slam Development Fund, which supports tennis scholarships in developing countries—a system that helped produce Jelena Ostapenko, the unseeded Latvian who shocked the world by winning the 2017 French Open. Wimbledon had barely started its second round before handing out the priciest fine ever—to Aussie wildcard Bernard Tomic. And with prize money soaring this year, those fines are only getting steeper!

Wimbledon’s new prize money for the winners

The tournament’s prize money has officially hit a mind-blowing record of £53.5 million ($72.59 million)! That’s a whopping 7% jump from last year, making it the highest prize pot in Wimbledon history and the largest of any Grand Slam this year. To put that in perspective, it’s nearly double what was offered just a decade ago. This massive increase from the All England Club sends a strong message, especially now that the economics of tennis are under such intense scrutiny.

The singles champions this year are set to bag a cool £3 million ($4.07 million) each—more than any other Grand Slam is dishing out! Even first-round losers in the singles draw will walk away with a respectable £66,000, a 10% increase from 2024. But it’s not just the top earners benefiting; doubles players are seeing a 4.4% boost, mixed doubles 4.3%, and even wheelchair, quad, qualifying, and junior events are getting significant bumps, with increases up to 5.6%.

This financial flex isn’t just about big numbers; it signals a deeper change. Over the past year, players and unions have been vocally pushing for a fairer slice of Grand Slam revenues, especially for lower-ranked players grappling with travel, training, and recovery expenses.

It seems Wimbledon has listened and responded in a big way. The question now is, with so much on the line, will players maintain their composure and sportsmanship? Only time will tell!