Extremely Rare Ball Tampering Incident Rocked Tennis World as 41-Year-Old Serena Williams Fell Prey to a Bizarre Opponent Act on This Day in 2013

The WTA 1000 event in Madrid has often managed to astonish spectators with the caliber of competition over the past few seasons. Further, the tennis community has also witnessed some of the legendary players getting bagelled in the renowned clay-court tournament.  The list also includes the American tennis icon, Serena Williams as she once got outclassed, 6-0, in the second set of her match at the Madrid Open.

It was the former Spanish tennis player, Anabel Medina Garrigues who managed to pull off a bagel against Serena. However, the three-set thriller match later caught the attention of many in the tennis realm due to the ball-tampering tactics of the former world No. 16 player.

Anabel Medina Garrigues once pulled off a bagel against Serena Williams

In 2013, the former tennis ace outclassed the former Spanish tennis player, Anabel Medina Garrigues in a three-set thriller match, 6-3, 0-6, 7-5, on the clay courts of the Madrid Open. It was a remarkable win for Serena Williams, however, she was taken aback after being bagelled in the second set of the match.

It was the only notable thing that did the trick for Anabel, who is also known as the clay-court specialist given the number of triumphs on the surface. According to a report from Sports Illustrated, the Spanish tennis veteran was spotted rubbing the balls against her racket in order to fluff them up.

Despite getting bagelled at the Madrid Open, Serena Williams once outperformed the Spanish clay-court specialist’s ball-tampering tactics

As new tennis balls move more quickly than worn ones because they are firm and intact, Medina Garrigues frequently attempted to tamper with them. It helped her to slow down the rallies as they thought it would also hinder the American tennis legend’s big serves and aggressive game style. However, Medina Garrigues’ ball tampering tactics didn’t work as she got outperformed by Williams.

Medina Garrigues later opened up about her tactics

During her post-match conference in Madrid, the former Spanish tennis player vented her frustrations over the balls getting swapped in between the match. Medina Garrigues asserted that her game was hugely affected by the new balls as they move faster than the used ones. She said, “Afterwards in the 5-all [in the third set] I was serving with new balls, which I hated. It’s an error.”

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During the tournament, there was no official rule on the adverse effects of tampering with the ball. Notably, no such actions were taken against the 40-year-old tennis veteran as the umpire also notice any such incident to issue it a code violation.

WATCH THIS STORY: Serena Williams pays tribute to Roger Federer.

What do you think of the ball-tampering tactics of the former Spanish tennis player? Let us know in the comments section.