Serena Williams Fined $10,000 For Allegedly Damaging Wimbledon Court

Serena Williams , tennis legend and seven-time Wimbledon champion, is being fined $10,000 for allegedly damaging the London practice courts with her racquet.

The All England Club, which hosts the Wimbledon tournament, handed the fine to Williams after she reportedly caused damage during a practice round on the outside courts on June 30, according to The Associated Press and CNN .

The 37-year-old tennis star appeared to shrug off the fine while speaking to reporters after winning the quarterfinal round against Alison Riske on Tuesday.

“I haven’t really thought about it, to be honest,” she said when asked about the fine. “I just threw my racquet. I got fined.”

Williams said she didn’t know how that could’ve caused damage.

“I mean, I guess if you could tell me, I would appreciate it,” she told reporters. “I mean, I have always been an Avenger in my heart. Maybe I’m super strong. I don’t know.”

Williams is after her eighth Wimbledon title, which would be her 24th grand slam victory. She is advancing to the singles semifinals on Thursday against Czech player Barbora Strýcová.

Williams was also fined a total of $17,000 last year  after she defended herself against an umpire at the U.S. Open who accused her of illegally communicating with her coach during a match.

During that incident, the umpire issued three code violations to Williams:  One for receiving illegal coaching, a second for breaking her tennis racket in frustration and a third after she confronted the umpire and called him a “thief.”

Many of Williams’ fans claimed that the umpire was unnecessarily harsh in his response to her, especially considering male players’ meltdowns throughout the history of the sport .

“Do you know how many other men do things that are much worse than that?” Williams told U.S. Open officials who entered the court during the match after her confrontation with the umpire.

Williams wasn’t the only one who received a fine at this year’s Wimbledon, though hers was the most costly.

Italian player Fabio Fognini was fined $3,000 for saying a “bomb should explode” at the tennis courts after he lost the third round to U.S. player Tennys Sandgren on Saturday.

Nick Kyrgios of Australia was hit with two fines one for $3,000 and a second for $5,000 for unsportsmanlike conduct.