Rafael Nadal’s uncle and former coach Toni has called on ‘tennis leaders’ to bring in ‘sporting punishments’ to stamp out some of the ‘reprehensible behaviour’ seen at the US Open.
Uncle Toni believes the ‘time has come’ for ATP and WTA bosses to give umpires the option to hand out in-match punishments to deter poor conduct.
Former US Open champion Daniil Medvedev was fined more than £30,000 for his behaviour during his dramatic first-round defeat at the start of the tournament.
Medvedev reacted badly after a photographer walked onto the court and the chair umpire gave his opponent Benjamin Bonzi another first serve due to the delay.
Fans inside Flushing Meadows were urged to boo the decision by Medvedev, who angrily approached the umpire and accused him of wanting to go home early.
At the end of the defeat, Medvedev destroyed his racket by smashing it into the bench which was holding his tennis bag.
While less dramatic, Andrey Rublev also smashed his racket after losing a service game during his straight-set defeat to Felix Auger Aliassime, while world number three Alexander Zverev did similar during his loss to the same opponent.
‘I believe the time has come for tennis leaders to consider applying sporting punishments to the increasingly common occurrence of tennis players breaking their rackets on the court,’ Toni Nadal wrote in a column for El Pais.
‘And also to consider why this type of reprehensible behaviour occurs more frequently in our sport than in other disciplines.
‘I have never seen a ping-pong player break a racket, and very rarely have I seen a golfer punish their club after making a mistake.’
Uncle Toni believes ‘lamentable spectacles’ are more likely to play out at the US Open compared to the other three Grand Slams due to a crowd that ‘demands more entertainment than tennis’.
‘It is precisely this crowd, the New York tournament crowd, that is undoubtedly the most willing to disrupt the players’ concentration and put on a show over the slightest incident,’ he added.
‘It must be acknowledged that the seven-minute interruption that desperately disconcerted the French player [Bonzi] was also due to the lack of consideration of a crowd that demands more entertainment than tennis.
‘Such an undesirable situation prevented the innocent tennis player from closing out the match in the third set, forcing him to play two more and reach a dramatic fifth set, which he ultimately won.
‘This is the world we’ve entered, beyond tennis, one of the proliferation and applause of the most deplorable behaviours, of outbursts and poor manners.
‘And there isn’t, for everything, the possibility of imposing a sporting punishment. A real shame.’
Who are the top US Open contenders?
Defending men’s champion Jannik Sinner has dropped just one set on his way to the quarter-finals of the US Open, where he plays Lorenzo Musetti.
Sinner, who won his first Wimbledon title earlier in the summer, thrashed the dangerous Alexander Bublik 6-1 6-1 6-1 in his last match.
Following the match, Bublik was heard calling Sinner ‘the GOAT’ and referred to his opponent as ‘artificial intelligence’.
Sinner’s biggest rival in New York looks set to be Carlos Alcaraz, the winner of five major titles and the player he has faced in the previous two Grand Slam finals.
Alcaraz is yet to drop a set at the US Open, dismantling big-server Arthur Rinderknech last time out to set up a quarter-final against Jiri Lehecka.
Elsewhere, Novak Djokovic – arguably the greatest player in history – has made serene progress through to the quarters despite the occasional injury scare.
Djokovic is still pursuing a record-breaking 25th Grand Slam title and faces local favourite Taylor Fritz for a place in the US Open semi-finals.
In the women’s draw, world number one Arnya Sabalenka faces ex-Wimbledon champion Marketa Vondrousova in the quarter-finals.
Six-time Grand Slam winner Iga Swiatek has also impressed at Flushing Meadows and faces Amanda Anisimova next, who she thrashed 6-0 6-0 in the Wimbledon final.
British number one Emma Raducanu fell to a third-round defeat while Naomi Osaka beat Coco Gauff in a much-anticipated last-16 clash.
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