American tennis player Mike Bryan created a racket during the U.S. Open on Saturday after he made a gesture at a line judge that earned him a $10,000 fine from theU.S. Tennis Association,ESPN reported.
The gesture occurred after a line judge made an incorrect call during his doubles match against Roberto Carballes Baena of Spain and Federico Delbonis of Argentina. Bryan, who plays doubles with his brother Bob, turned his racket upside down, held it like a gun, and pretended to shoot at the line judge, after a replay showed the official made the wrong call.
The fake gun fire was caught on camera and the U.S. Tennis Association fined Bryan $10,000 for the gunlike gesture.
“We thought it warranted that amount,” U.S. Tennis Association spokesman Brendan McIntyre said in a statement.
"We won the point and the gesture was meant to be playful," Bryan said in a statement given to the New York Times following the incident. "But given the recent news and political climate I understand how my gesture could be viewed as insensitive. I promise that I will never do anything like this again."
A few hours before the match, a gunman in Odessa, Texas went on a rampage that left seven people dead and 22 injured, including a 17-month-old girl.
Despite the fine, the Bryans went on to win their match, 4-6, 7-5, 6-3.
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